With the rise of online health coaching services available today it can be difficult to determine which coaching program will best suit your goals.
This post is designed to help you identify what I consider to be 6 critical components to an effective and worthwhile online health coaching program.
A good online health coaching program should:
Have a consistent and clear method of accountability. Health coaching services should provide you with a high level of accountability so that you know what steps you need to take to reach your goals and have multiple methods of tracking your progress. This may be in the form of various communication channels such as email or messaging or it may be in the form of an online portal where you can log your actions and how you are feeling. No matter what the platform is, you should also have a clear process for communication and feel confident that you know how to reach your coach when you need support.
Design your programming around your specific goals and your body’s needs and limitations. Your online health coach should provide a training program that is specific and tailored to you. If you are using group health coaching services then this may be less curated to your needs but if you are working with a 1:1 health coach then you should be confident that the program provided to you takes into account and plans around your goals and your body’s needs and isn't a templated workout or nutrition plan that is prescribed for anyone and everyone. Your coach should ask and have a clear understanding of your health history and any injuries that may need to be accommodated for in your training as well as any dietary needs or preferences.
Takes your personal life circumstances into account when goal setting. Maybe most importantly, your online health coach should be prioritizing consistency in your training- this means they should be taking into account your personal circumstances to make sure that the training program or nutritional guidance they are recommending is realistic for you and can be easily and consistently executed.
Provide evidence-based foundations to their methodologies. Not every approach is appropriate for every client and a competent online health coach will be qualified and have evidence-based reasons for implementing the tools and techniques that they use. A good online health coach will also be able to help you identify the right strategy for the right season of life as not all solutions are appropriate for every season.
Addresses bio-feedback when programming or providing nutrition guidance. Bio-feedback refers to the signals your body sends in regards to it’s general health and well-being. This includes things like sleep, stress, digestive health, and mental health. All of these things have a huge impact on your ability for your body to function “normally” and therefore has a huge impact on your ability to reach your goal. A good health coaching service will help you learn to track and take into account these crucial biofeedback signals to ensure that your program is properly aligned to your body’s needs.
Stays within their qualified scope of practice. Your online health coach should be able to clearly define their scope of expertise and should not give advice outside of it. They should be quick to refer out to doctor’s and other health professionals in the event that you experience issues that lie outside their scope of practice.
For many, online health coaching can be an incredibly useful tool to achieve your best health and fitness goals. By doing your due diligence and using these tips to identify quality health coaching services you can guarantee that your time, money, and effort is well spent and position yourself to get amazing results. Learn more about how online health coaching can help you reach your goals and achieve your best health here