How to Know if Health Coaching is Right for You
Signing up with a health coach can feel like a big leap. Especially if you're not used to having coaches in your life.
One of the top questions that people ask when thinking about starting with health coaching. “Why are experienced health coaches so expensive?”
In this article I’ll do my best to explain how health coaching pricing works, some of the common objections that I hear in relation to cost and what to look out for when deciding who to work with.
Pricing Variable #1. The Coach’s Expertise
At the moment there are no regulations in the coaching field. That means (in theory) you could just decide you want to be either a life coach or a health coach and set up shop. With zero experience. This isn’t the case for most coaches.
Most coaches have some level of training. This should be displayed clearly on their website. Along with their experience. It’s important to be up front about how long and in depth their training is. Some coaching trainings are just a few days. (This may not be a problem if they have a lot of experience after that.) Others have trained for years at top medical schools and have years of clinical practice.
When you’re building your dream house, would you rather work with the cheapest architect or the best and most experience? The one who’s going to build you exactly what you want?
Equally, when it comes to your life of health, wellness and happiness, you deserve the best experience. The health coach who’s going to build your dream life with you.
Dr Orlena is a qualified medical doctor, specialising in paediatrics. She has years of clinical experience in the UK and Australia. Who better than a doctor to help you lead a healthy life?
Pricing Variable #2. Accountability or a Proven System?
Many health coaches offer “accountability”. You decide the “plan of action” and they hold you accountable. People say doctors shouldn’t treat their own family and they definitely shouldn’t self diagnose. Our brains aren’t objective. They tell us what we want to hear. Our emotions get in the way. Half of the problem with making changes is understanding how your brain can self sabotage your best efforts.
Other health coaches have a rigid system that you have to stick to whether you like it or not. (Here are the exact meals you need to eat every day for the next month whether you like them or not.)
Dr Orlena has a proven “simple system” based on current research that is easy to implement. It is a framework that can be adapted to you, your family and your unique likes and situation.
You will build up routine, habits and systems in all 4 pillars of health. (Nutrition, exercise, sleep and emotional wellness.)
Dr Orlena’s 4th pillar is emotional wellness and mindset. She will give you the tools to understand when you’re self sabotaging and what to do about it. By the end of your time with her, you’ll feel confident that you can maintain your healthy life that you love without her help.
Variable Number 3. How Much Time Support Do You Get?
There are several variables when it comes to support. How are you supported in between your one on one sessions?
Do Orlena’s one on one coaching includes a voice messenger service so that you can contact her either with a voice message or email whenever you like. So that you feel supported 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Questions you’ll want to ask.
- Do they have a proven system to help you?
- Will it suit you?
- How can I contact them between sessions?
- Am I going to feel truly supported?
- Am I going to feel dependent on my coach?
The Cost of Transformation
It’s easy to see coaching as simply an hourly transaction. But a better question to ask yourself is. “At the end of the day, what has changed in my life?”
What would happen if you continued life as you are? What will your life be like in 20 years?
If you’re overweight, you’ll either stay the same weight or put on weight.
If you have unhealthy habits, in 20 years time you may have developed a lifestyle illness such as diabetes. You may have problems with mobility. How much will that cost you in terms of medical expenses, lost earnings and heart ache?
If you do the coaching and make sustainable changes that you can carry on for the rest of your life, how will your life be different in 20 years?
You’ll be your ideal weight. You’ll be strong, toned, able to move your body and do all the things you want.
You’ll feel amazing in your body and your mind.
You’ll avoid lifestyle diseases.
There’ll be knock on effects in other areas of your life. Perhaps you’ve used all that energy to get a raise at work. Or grown your business to where you want it to be. Perhaps you’ve taken up a new sport that you never thought you could. Made new friends who share your passion in ball room dancing/ salsa/ rock climbing / yoga / pilates.
Right now you’re standing at a cross roads and you can chose the path where life stays the same. Or you can chose to make changes. Which one will your future self prefer? And how much would your future self be willing to pay for it.
How much do you value a year of healthy living? A year of feeling amazing and enjoyable healthy living. How much do you value 20 years of healthy living? Or 40?
Let’s say you’re 40 now. Leading a healthy life, you could easily live an active life until 80 (and beyond.)
That’s 40 years of healthy living.
Say the health coaching you want is $10 000. That’s $250 a year. That’s $21 a month.
Would your future self be willing to pay $21 a month to have a healthy body rather than an overweight and not so healthy body?
Is your current self willing to invest that amount of money so you can be healthy in the future?
“It feels like such a Luxury having a Coach”
I’ve been told that having a coach feels like a “luxury item”. The sort of thing top athletes have. Or people who excel in their field of expertise.
Well on one level they are a luxury item. But don’t many people aspire to have luxury items? A new iPhone, a large screen TV, a comfortable car, your dream house?
The reality is that people who excel at things, such as top athletes do have coaches. They know they wouldn’t excel if they didn’t have a coach. They understand that having a coach is the difference between success and being an amateur athlete.
Or if you have a business coach. The difference between a successful business and one that’s limping along.
If you apply that to your health and wellness, the difference between having a healthy life, full of energy and purpose. Or limping along thinking “I want to change things but don’t seem to make it happen”.
“I Ought to be able to do this Myself”
Another comment that I hear frequently. But if that were the case, we wouldn’t have a worldwide problem with lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
It isn’t that you don’t know what you need to do. In broad terms you need to eat more healthily, more vegetables, less packets and exercise more. The issue isn’t knowledge, it’s applying.
And that’s where the problem lies. The rickety bridge between the habits you have now and the habits you’d like to have.
You start walking across the bridge. Life happens and you find yourself back with your current habits. That’s the nature of habits.
Besides, just because you “ought” to be able to do something, does that mean that’s where your time and energy is best spent?
Think of people climbing Mount Everest. It’s common practice to hire a “Sherpa”, a local guide who’ll lead you to the top and back in safety.
Think of Dr Orlena as your personal guide who’ll even carry your bags because they’re heavy. She’ll show you the quickest and easiest route to the top of the mountain.
There are many things in life that people chose not to do themselves. Clean their house or garden, decorate their house, change a car tyre or the oil. Simple things we could do if we put our mind to it. But we often prefer to pay to get someone else to do it so we can use our time differently.
Your Time is Valuable
It’s so much easier when you have a “Sherpa” to do the heavy lifting for you. Carry your bags and point out the points of interest along the way so that you can enjoy the journey.
A Health Coach Will Make It Easy For You
You have your area of expertise. What have you dedicated your life to learning about?
A health coach has dedicated their life to learning about health, how the body works and most importantly HOW you can make changes.
Dr Orlena’s simple system includes creating routine, habits and systems in all 4 pillars. Based on the science of habit formation, she will show you the easiest way for you to create new habits.
Is Your Health and Wellness a Luxury?
I like to play something called the “perspective game”.
Here’s how it works.
Take 5 things that are important in your life.
Let’s say car, phone, computer, house and health.
The put them in order of priority. What’s most important to you and why?
Perhaps your computer is important as you use it for work. Ditto car.
Most people rank health number 1.
Now let’s see how much money you spend on each item. Include everything that goes into each item. The cost of purchasing it and up keep.
For health, you can include health insurance or health bills, plus anything you purchase because you think it will affect your health. (Supplements? Gym membership? Organic food? Protein shakes? Sports equipment?)
Most people don’t pay as much toward the upkeep of their health as they do to their house or car.
Can you see the problem?
People say their health is their number one priority but their actions don’t.
Of course you need to pay for your house and car but why don’t you need to put time and money into your health?
The bottom line is that if you do, if you treat your health like a priority, you’ll have good health. If you neglect your health and don’t treat your body well, you won’t have good health.
You Deserve to Lead a Long and Health Life
We know have the research that shows us if we lead a healthy life in all 4 pillars, there isn’t a reason why we can’t lead a long and healthy life. (Of course there are weird and strange illnesses that we can’t account for. But we can limit the common lifestyle ones.)
The questions to ask yourself are:
- Do I want to lead a long and healthy life?
- Do I want to have more energy, feel less tired and groggy?
- Do I want to have a body that is healthy and can do all the things I want?
- Do I want to live my life to the fullest? To be my best self?
- Do I want to teach my kids to lead a healthy life?
- Do I want to do it all and for it to be easy and fun?
- Am I prepared to invest money and time (initially) into myself and my healthy and wellness?
If the answer is “heck yes” to the above, I invite you to book an initial “wow chat” with Dr Orlena. A complimentary coaching session that’ll leave you thinking “wow! what a great chat!”
It may sound like “just a chat”, but people walk away feeling empowered and ready to take action.
Ready to take the first step of an amazing journey? Book your call here?
Dr Orlena's Magic Likes and Dislikes Exercise
Wouldn't it be amazing if you could dial down your cravings for certain foods?
Or increase your like for healthy foods? Wouldn't that make healthy eating so much easier?
Well you can! In just 30 minutes.
Alea didn't like blueberries until she did the Magic Likes exercise. She was eating them and enjoying them by the end of the call!
Tory stopped eating pretzels after she did the exercise.
Find out more about Dr Orlena's Magic Likes and Dislikes Exercise.
(Psst... if you sign up for the "Overeating quiz" you can get a huge discount!)
Written By Dr Orlena
Dr Orlena Kerek (MBChB from the University of Bristol, UK) trained as a pediatric doctor. She is now a family health coach. She helps busy mums who want to feel amazing by eating healthy food. So they can enjoy a healthy life, get back into their honeymoon shorts and teach their kids healthy habits. All without thinking about it.
If want a healthy family and healthy lifestyle without having to think about it. And you'd like help, book a 30-minute "Healthy Life Roadmap" call here.
