Partnering with a specialist is a fantastic approach to support your health! We are going to dig into Nutritionists, Trainers, and Health Coaches and talk about how they each support your health and goals. I have personally benefited from working with all three. Deciding which specialist(s) is right can be tough if you don’t know the differences in how they support their clients. Here we’ll explore the differences between specialists so you can decide which is right to support your health!

Health Matters Now More Than Ever

We know that health is important – it’s common knowledge that greater health has an impact on overall quality of life. According to the World Health Organization, worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 6 in 10 adults have at least one chronic disease, and 4 in 10 have two in the US. 

Another challenge we face is that particular diets do not have one-size-fits-all results (check out this Harvard Article). Our health matters now more than ever, and a customized approach to health and nutrition can best support you. Creating a customized nutrition and fitness approach that is best for you can be challenging and very overwhelming.

Nutritionists and Your Health

Nutritionists offer general advice for their clients regarding diet, food, and nutrition. While many people use the term nutritionist interchangeably with a dietician, not all nutritionists are dieticians. A dietician has met specific educational and licensing requirements to be able to treat or diagnose nutritional problems. Nutritionists provide the resources and strategies to help you build a better nutrition plan! They often develop meal plans and nutrition-based guidelines to help address your health goals. 

As part of my own weight loss journey four years ago, my husband and I completed a weight loss program together and partnered with a nutritionist. They explained our diet and customized our plan based on our overall goals and our results along the way. It was helpful to have a guide answer questions and support my health in tweaking my meal plan to hit my targets. Navigating a new meal plan can be tricky, and a knowledgeable specialist helped ease my uncertainty along the way!

Trainers and Your Health

Trainers focus on physical exercise to help clients improve their fitness. They develop personalized training programs to meet clients where they are and support their specific goals (such as  weight loss or gain, building strength, or improving cardio endurance.) Trainers partner with their clients by walking through custom training programs together, while providing support and motivation along the way and ensuring their safety. 

I really enjoyed the process of working with a personal trainer in tandem with my weight loss program. My trainer was extremely helpful in building my gym workout routine. Previously I would only focus on cardio since it was in my comfort zone. I was uncertain of the exercises and equipment needed to build my strength. Through education and encouragement from my trainer, I expanded my personal fitness program and now have a solid foundation to build from.

Health Coaches and Your Health

A health coach helps clients clarify their goals, build healthy habits, and evolve their mindset to achieve their goals. Through the structure, accountability, and support of a coaching partnership, a health coach guides their clients to work through the behavioral changes to live a healthy lifestyle. A health coach also helps their clients move forward as opposed to telling them what to do. When needed, a health coach will also offer additional resources or recommend other specialists such as nutritionists or trainers. 

As part of my own weight loss program, I also worked with a health coach to hold me accountable to my goals. When times got tough and I hit a plateau and doubted myself, they helped lift me up and keep me going. When I needed extra support when I wasn’t following through, they helped shift my perspective and get unstuck. When I was tempted to take it easy, they challenged me to push harder and reminded me of my vision. Overall, they supported me through the many hurdles along the way. And as an added bonus they helped ignite my passion for health coaching and nutrition!

Questions to Ask:

• Am I looking for a customized meal plan recommendation? – Nutritionist
• Do I need a physical fitness plan created for me? – Trainer
• Do I need accountability to help me follow through on my meal plan and/or fitness plan? – Health Coach
• Do I have a specific health issue I am seeking help diagnosing? – Nutritionist
• Am I looking for someone to educate me about exercise? – Trainer
• Am I clear on my health goals but I need structure in order to accomplish them? – Health Coach

Ready For Health Coaching?

Knowing where to begin on your health journey can be tough, and health coaches can help! Partnering with a health coach is such a powerful tool to help you set and achieve your goals. Ama La Vida’s health and wellness coaching guides you towards true transformation through self-reflection to gain clarity and focus. This is exactly what your best version needs to combat self-sabotage, create healthy habits, and harness your personal power!

If you are ready to elevate your health though health coaching, schedule your free coaching consult with me today! I look forward to connecting with you.