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We all know that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed an immense amount of stress and pressure on our mental and physical health. Far beyond a diagnosis with the virus, there’s been a significant impact on health relating to sleep, stress, nutrition, lifestyle habits, and the management of chronic and acute conditions.
Your Vera health coach is here to guide you in leading your healthiest life possible — regardless of your age, wellness, or physical ability.
Whether you’re experiencing repercussions of the past year or not, a Vera health coach is a valuable resource for you.
Our health coaches are experts at helping you set and achieve your goals — placing you in the driver's seat of your own health with their experience, expertise, and guidance as professionals at your side.
Here’s how a health coach can help you take meaningful and lasting ownership of your health so you can live your best life at any age.
A health coach can help you achieve lifelong wellness
With traditional healthcare, the way to help usually involves someone telling you what to do and possibly even starting you off immediately with medications. At Vera, we listen first to hear from you about which areas of your life you’d like to see change. One of the best aspects of health coaching is a belief we work to instill in all of our patients, that you have the power within yourself to make changes to positively impact your life for years to come.
Behavior changes are by far the hardest, especially when faced with the added stress and complexity of a pandemic. This is why our health coaches work with your provider to help you design a wellness plan that is achievable — without judgement, added stress, or pressure. Here’s how:
- Time: It’s ok to admit it — changing your behavior or lifestyle is hard and requires time. People are at different stages of change throughout life and without time to reinforce positive actions, it becomes difficult to stay on track, even if you really want to make a change. A Vera health coach is truly an extension of time spent with your provider. Together, you are a team fully focused on you and your health. Your health coach can help you work the action plan that you develop with your provider and has the time to meet with you regularly as you work on achieving your health goals, one step at a time.
- Personalization: Every individual has different health and life challenges that can complicate their ability to achieve their health goals. Whether you need help with self-efficacy or confidence, or need more resources to support you overall, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Achieving your health goals can be complex. Your health coach is an expert at helping you establish SMART goals for yourself, identifying what will (or won’t) work distinctly for you, and providing all the support you need along the way.
- Listening: The last thing anyone wants is another person telling them what to do. That’s why the main priority of your health coach is to listen.
We all live busy lives that make it hard to sit down and investigate what behaviors and changes are really needed for meaningful change. Most of the time people know what they want to and should be doing, but it still doesn't lead to lasting change. Having a trusted mentor makes a huge difference — someone who listens and hears your struggles, concerns, and accomplishments and can help you make a plan to work around roadblocks. Your health coach will help you tap into your intrinsic motivation, won’t be deterred when you get off track, and has a set of proven tools and resources to help you on your journey.
Why preventive care is crucial
According to a study done in 2016 by Population Health Management on the impact of personalized preventive healthcare, preventive wellness improves the physician-patient relationship, improves overall health, and reduces costs for patients. The study notes the health status at midlife is “especially critical to maintaining health while aging, delaying disease and disability onset, managing existing chronic conditions, and enhancing quality of life and well-being during a lifetime.”
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, millions of people in the United States don’t get the recommended preventive healthcare services needed for optimal health.
At Vera Whole Health, our focus is on primary care. We help you implement successful lifestyle and behavior changes before you have any serious health consequences. Keeping up with your annual whole health evaluation, getting needed health screenings, and receiving support from a health coach to achieve your health goals at any age are great tools to help you live a long and healthy life.
Support from your care team
Your health coach and physician collaborate to make sure you have the best level of care, when you need it. It starts at your Annual Whole Health Evaluation. As you discuss your health goals with your provider, they will bring a health coach in (if you’re comfortable) to talk together about what support you’d like to meet your goals.
As your health coach shares updates on your health journey with your provider — how it’s going, what is going well, where you might need additional support — you get a team of people working on your behalf to support you in achieving your goals. This level of care gives you the resources needed to meet your needs where you’re at, ensuring your ideal wellness is attainable through the challenges of life. It’s a team approach and you’re an integral part of that team!
“All coaching is, is taking a player where he can’t take himself.”
– Bill McCartney, College Football Hall of Fame
No matter where you’re at in life, chances are good health is one of your most valued possessions — whether by hard work or good fortune. With the assistance of a health coach, you’ll be better equipped to live the healthiest life possible. A Vera health coach can help to build the skills and confidence needed to progress towards your goals — keeping you in the driver’s seat. With a coach by your side, you’ll gain the resources needed to map a lifetime of better health.
Visit the Vera Whole Health patient website to learn more or call your care center to make your appointment and get started today!
