Health coaching is a collaborative process between a health coach and client to improve overall health and well-being through sustainable lifestyle changes. A health coach is a trained professional who guides clients along their health journey. They help clients get “unstuck” and coach them toward their goals using proven techniques. Health coaches utilize evidence-based strategies to empower clients to make changes, activate internal strengths, use resources, and foster healthy lifestyle changes.

When working with a new client, a health coach listens and asks questions to help identify goals, barriers, and sources of motivation. As the client works to make changes, their health coach helps them tap into their innate strengths, using evidence-based strategies to empower clients to take ownership of their process. They celebrate each win and provide support through each challenge, collaborating to solve problems and utilizing various resources to guide their clients to a healthier lifestyle. (Reference: Functional Medicine Coaching Academy)

A health coach who is certified in functional medicine is specialized and takes a more data-driven and scientific approach. While holistic health is still part of their training, their specialized education also focuses on whole systems, root causes, and evidence-based science.

A certified longevity coach is a professional who helps individuals improve their health and well-being with the goal of enhancing longevity - living a longer, healthier, and more fulfilling life while helping clients potentially “age” more slowly from the inside out by optimizing their epigenetics. Longevity coaches often combine science-based education with personalized guidance to help clients adopt habits that support healthy aging and optimize health that could potentially prevent age-related diseases.

A wellness coach is a professional who helps individuals improve their overall well-being by guiding them toward healthier lifestyle choices. They take a holistic approach to health, addressing various aspects of wellness, including physical, emotional, mental, and sometimes even spiritual health. The goal is to help clients achieve balance, enhance their quality of life, and maintain long-term wellness through sustainable habits.

Gabriella Testa, Lead Transformation Coach at Welltality Coaching, is a Certified Functional Medicine Health and Wellness Coach, Certified Longevity Health Coach, and Certified Meditation Practitioner/Teacher.

When making healthy lifestyle changes, health & wellness coaches can differentiate between failure, long-lasting behavior change, and success. They make positive change accessible in these critical ways:

Benefits of Health Coaching:

Personalized Guidance: Health coaches use a client-centered approach, working collaboratively with clients to ensure they actively participate in setting their health goals, making decisions, and engaging in the learning process, which enhances the likelihood of successful behavior change.

Behavior Change Support: Health coaches specialize in behavior change strategies, helping clients overcome obstacles and adopt healthier habits in accessible, realistic ways. This support is crucial for individuals aiming to make long-term lifestyle changes they’ll stick with.

Accountability: Clients are encouraged to monitor their progress and stay committed to their health objectives, fostering a sense of responsibility for their well-being.

Motivation and Empowerment: Health coaches serve as motivators, empowering clients to take charge of their health. They help individuals tap into their internal strengths and external resources, fostering a sense of self-efficacy and motivation.

Holistic Approach: Health coaching often takes a holistic approach, addressing various aspects of well-being including nutrition, physical activity, stress management, sleep, and interpersonal relationships.

Improved Well-being: Individuals working with health coaches often report improvements in overall well-being. This can include enhanced energy levels, better resiliency against stress, improved mood, and a greater sense of life satisfaction.

Preventive Health Measures: Health coaching emphasizes preventive health measures, helping individuals identify and address potential health risks before they escalate. This proactive approach contributes to long-term health maintenance.

Reference: Functional Medicine Coaching Academy

Longevity coaching offers many benefits helping individuals live longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. Here are the key advantages of working with a longevity coach:

Improved healthspan not just lifespan: Longevity coaching focuses on enhancing the healthspan - the number of years a person lives in good health - by addressing diet, exercise, mental health, and stress. This leads to a better quality of life and reduces the likelihood of living with chronic illnesses or physical limitations.

Personalized Health & Wellness Plans: A longevity coach tailors strategies to fit your individualized needs, considering your genetic predispositions, lifestyle, and long-term health goals. This customized approach maximizes effectiveness compared to one-size-fits-all programs.

Disease Prevention: Through lifestyle changes such as better nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and sleep optimization, longevity coaches help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. They promote preventative measures that slow aging at the cellular level.

Holistic Approach to Wellness: Longevity coaching goes beyond physical health. It incorporates emotional, mental, and sometimes spiritual well-being. By addressing stress management, mindfulness, and mental health, longevity coaches help you achieve a balanced, comprehensive sense of wellness.

Sustainable Lifestyle Changes: Coaches emphasize making small, sustainable changes over time, helping clients adopt long-term healthy habits rather than quick fixes. This ensures the habits are maintainable and beneficial in the long run, aiding in aging well.

Enhanced Cognitive Function: A major focus of longevity coaching is brain health, incorporating exercises and habits that improve cognitive function and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer's. This can include diet, mental exercises, and stress-reduction techniques.

Better Physical Fitness and Mobility: Coaches help develop fitness routines that improve strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular health, promoting mobility and independence well into later life. They also emphasize activities that support joint health and bone density, which can prevent age-related issues such as osteoporosis or arthritis.

Stress Reduction & Emotional Resilience: Longevity coaches often focus on emotional well-being, teaching techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, and stress-management practices. These strategies help lower stress hormones like cortisol, which are linked to aging and chronic health issues.

Improved Sleep Quality: Sleep is crucial for longevity and coaches work on optimizing sleep habits to enhance rest and recovery. Better sleep supports immune function, cognitive health, and emotional balance, all of which contribute to healthier aging.

Increased Energy and Vitality: By improving diet, exercise, and stress management, longevity coaching can lead to greater daily energy levels making it easier to stay active and engaged in life. This not only impacts physical well-being but also mental sharpness and social engagement.

Accountability and Support: A longevity coach provides ongoing support, keeping you accountable for your health goals. Regular check-ins help you stay on track, adjust your plan as needed, and provide motivation to keep moving forward.

Staying Up-to-Date with Health Trends: Longevity coaches stay informed about the latest health, wellness, and aging research and trends. They can help you incorporate new, science-based strategies into your lifestyle as they emerge.

Increased Life Satisfaction and Fulfillment: Longevity coaching often focuses on more than just physical health, emphasizing a well-rounded, purposeful life. This can include encouraging better social connections, finding meaning and purpose in activities, and maintaining emotional well-being, all of which contribute to a more fulfilling life.

Overall, longevity coaching provides comprehensive guidance to promote long-lasting health and well-being, enabling you to live a longer, more active, and enriched life.

“The number one obstacle people face on their journey toward better health is lack of support. Everyone wants to get healthy, but we all need someone to hold us accountable and ask the right questions. We need someone to cheer us on and help us create a plan to achieve our goals. That is where a coach with the right training and the heart of a teacher comes in.” ~ Mark Hyman, MD on Functional Medicine Health Coaching.

Evidence-based Data to Support the Benefits of Health Coaching

• Over 1,000 PubMed studies show a greater sense of purpose in life leads to greater health, immunity, and overall psychological well-being.

• A systematic review published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine (2016) analyzed 15 studies and concluded that health coaching consistently positively affects behavior change and health outcomes.

• A BMC Health Services Research (2020) meta-analysis reviewed 23 randomized controlled trials and found that wellness coaching significantly improved physical health, mental health, and chronic disease management.

• Over 275 health and wellness coaching studies from significant research databases, including PubMed, demonstrate that health coaching supports healthier lifestyles by enhancing physical activity, nutrition, and smoking reduction. It is especially effective in managing chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. It leads to improved self-management, behavior change, and better long-term outcomes, including enhanced cardiovascular health and quality of life.

Health Coaching is effective; should you try it? – Harvard University

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/health-coaching-is-effective-should-you-try-it-2020040819444

The Effectiveness of Health Coaching. – National Institute of Health

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK487697/#:~:text=Overall%20results%20suggest%20that%20self,when%20compared%20with%20inactive%20controls.

A randomized trial of a theory-driven model of health coaching for older adults: short-term and sustained outcomes. – National Institutes for Health

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37798658/

Functional Medicine Health Coaching Improved Elimination Diet Compliance and Patient-Reported Health Outcomes: Results From A Randomized Controlled Trial. – Medicine Journal

https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/fulltext/2024/02230/functional_medicine_health_coaching_improved.34.aspx

10 Ways An Executive Wellness Coach Can Make You More Successful. – Forbes

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nazbeheshti/2019/01/10/10-ways-an-executive-wellness-coach-can-make-you-more-successful/?sh=34fa33177bed

What is Health Coaching? 12 Benefits & Principles Explained. – Positive Psychology

https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-health-coaching/

Study Finds Wellness Coaching Benefits Last Over Time. – Mayo Clinic

https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/physical-medicine-rehabilitation/news/study-finds-wellness-coaching-benefits-last-over-time/mac-20431166

Optimizing Outcomes: The Benefits for Patients and Practitioners of Health Coaching. – The Institute for Functional Medicine

https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/optimizing-outcomes-the-benefits-of-health-coaching-for-patients-and-practitioners/

Cleveland Clinic Study Finds Functional Medicine Model is Associated with Improvements in Health-Related Quality of Life. – Cleveland Clinic Newsroom

https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2019/10/25/cleveland-clinic-study-finds-functional-medicine-model-is-associated-with-improvements-in-health-related-quality-of-life

Exclusive one-to-one coaching sessions with me as your coach are private, specialized, individualized, customized, strategic, and diversified according to each client's unique strengths, challenges, needs, desires, and goals.

The session time and frequency will depend on the coaching container recommended and selected. It will include bespoke and results-focused coaching, tailored educational resources, and tools when needed.

At the end of each session, reflective exercises, integration, and implementation activity work are established so you can embody the work and begin taking the steps needed to create your future self and life to which you aspire.