The Science Is In: Health Coaching Will Improve the Health of the World

A recent report from the Global Wellness Institute found that health and wellness coaching is one of the top 10 trends in global wellness for 2022. The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) was specifically mentioned in the report, in the section “Standards Are Getting Beefed Up; Rigorous Training Programs Are Booming.”  

This recognition is great news because it's clear that health coaching is becoming mainstream, with science to back up its effectiveness! IIN recently compiled studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of health and wellness coaching in reducing and even reversing lifestyle-related chronic diseases! Take a look at our report, entitled “The Science Behind Health Coaching: How Health Coaches Are Improving Health & Happiness.”

But what does it mean to reduce and reverse lifestyle-related chronic disease through health coaching? People are unlikely to adopt new thinking and build new habits – like eating healthier, exercising more, or cutting back on risky behavior like smoking – if they’re put under stress to do so. It’s also not going to spark change to simply restate the staggering disease and death rate.

Health coaching is radically different from the prescriptive, one-size-fits-all model of health. Motivation to change must come from deep within because health happens in day-to-day life, not in the doctor’s office. Health Coaches empower their clients to build healthier habits, in part by asking them to envision their healthiest self: What would it look like? What would it feel like? Getting to the root, or the “why,” of someone’s health goals will set them up for success in the long term, and Health Coaches are trained to do just that.

There’s so much opportunity out there for Health Coaches to do meaningful work, and IIN is excited to be at the forefront of making the world a healthier, happier place.