AAHWC

Cultivating Readiness for Change Within the sphere of health coaching, readiness to change emerges as a foundational element shaping clients' journeys toward wellness. It acts as a precursor to significant transformation, signifying an individual's preparedness and motivation to adopt healthier habits and behaviors. This article underscores the crucial role of readiness for change in health coaching and offers simple strategies to help clients prepare for transformation, drawing insights from biblical teachings.  Readiness to change encompasses an individual's willingness, readiness, and motivation to embrace healthier behaviors, habits, or lifestyle choices. It involves recognizing the need for change [...]

Members Learn About LIFT AAHWC had its first members-only meeting for the new year on February 25, 2024, where over thirty members virtually attended from the United States and Canada. They came together to learn about a training program called LIFT: Jesus’ Way of Coaching. Rick Mautz, Past President of AAHWC, created the LIFT curriculum to train lay church members to reach others by using Christ-centered health coaching principles. During the meeting, he provided an overview of the training program, which generally takes twelve hours to complete. Mautz also encouraged attendees to have the mind of [...]

Having a Growth and Spiritual Mindset In coaching, having the right mindset is important for both the coach and the client. But what exactly is the best mindset, and how can it help in health coaching?  In 1988, Carol Dweck, PhD, wrote a paper that grouped intelligence into two types: entity (fixed) and incremental (growth) intelligence [1]. She further developed these into what is now known as a "fixed" versus a "growth" mindset. Individuals with a fixed mindset believe they have an unchangeable amount of intelligence, and they allow failure and setbacks to define them. On [...]

What is a Health Coach? Health and wellness coaching is a collaborative partnership between the coach and the client. A coach meets clients where they are in their health journey, discovers where they want to be, and facilitates forward movement toward their self-directed vision and goals. They meet regularly to discuss their progress, discover and resolve any roadblocks, co-create weekly action steps, and celebrate their accomplishments. Throughout the process, the coach encourages the client to discover the answers for themselves by asking thought-provoking questions and making reflective statements (1,2). In coaching, the client is the expert; [...]

What Motivates You?  Health coaching is all about growing and discovering how to implement ways to become one's best self. One of the most important aspects of coaching is the motivation for change, but what exactly is motivation and how does it tie into our Christian walk?  Motivation is  "... a condition inside us that desires a change, either in the self or the environment" (1). All motivation falls into two categories: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation involves doing things because they lead to an outcome, such as performing a task because a reward is attached. [...]