Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Health Coach?
This is one of my favorite questions! For me, a Health Coach is a trained professional in various therapeutic modalities (nutrition, fitness, mindfulness, etc) who can help you achieve your best health. Health Coaches offer services and programs that can fill the gaps that Doctors, Nutritionists, Dietitians and trainers don’t have the time or resources to fill. Given my own personal history and the health challenges that I have had to overcome, I like to describe myself as someone who understands what you’re going through — all of the challenges and changes that you want and possibly need make in your life — your guide on the side helping you through that transformational ride.
What is the difference between a Health Coach and a Trainer?
A trainer is a professional primarily focused on a client’s physical health. A health coach is more comprehensive – fitness is very important, but I believe long term success means sustainable change, and that means I focus on lifestyle, not just fitness – we call them Primary and Secondary foods.
- Primary foods nurture your mind, body and soul — the four main categories are Relationships, Spirituality, Career and Physical Activity.
- Secondary foods are basically what’s on your plate. In my experience you can eat all the broccoli, spinach and kale in the world and not be a healthy person if your Primary foods aren’t in balance.
How do you interact with my Doctor? Do I need a Doctor’s referral?
While I do not require a doctor’s referral to get started, I do highly recommend that your GP/PCP or Specialist be involved in this process. Your Doctor is the quarterback of this process and should be involved in all aspects of your health care. Some doctors are more involved; some are less, but they should always be informed. In fact, a lot of what I do has to do directly with your Doctor’s protocol. I can interact with your Doctor in many different ways – via phone, email, text. or whatever form works best for him or her and whatever timeframe for updates.
What is the time commitment for me?
The time commitment varies, based on your health needs and goals. How aggressively do you want to go after achieving your goals? Do you want the changes that you make to your life to be sustainable changes? How much time per day, week, month do you have invest in your lifestyle change? In short, any sustainable change is going to take time and effort, but it is attainable. All you have to do to make these changes is commit to them the way I’m committing to assist you in achieving your individual goals.
Can I work with you from another city, state or country?
Yes. In fact, many of my clients are out of state, and we work together by phone, skype, zoom, email, etc. Given the difficult times in which we are living, flexibility is key. Technology has enabled me to help people literally around the world.
How do you charge for services?
Depending upon the length of the program, we take full payment upfront or bill monthly. We do not charge by the session.
Do you accept Medical Insurance?
We do not accept medical insurance directly. We can accept HSA cards for payment as well as major credit cards, paypal, venmo and checks.
What is the process to get started?
- Please fill out the “contact us form” on the site. I will then arrange a mutually convenient time for an initial consultation.
- After our initial consultation, you will be asked to complete a health history which we will then discuss.
- I then set up an initial customized program based on your history and health goals. This will detail the time and fees needed to complete the program as well as ongoing maintenance (if needed).
How long have you been a coach?
I’ve been a coach all of my life in one capacity or another. I decide to become an Integrative Health Coach given all of the injuries and health challenges that I had to overcome in my life. The best part of coaching for me is seeing a player or a client persevere on the field or more importantly in life. That to me is the definition of success!
What is “Bio-Individuality”?
Bio-Individuality is a term coined by Joshua Rosenthal, who is the founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Put simply, It means that what’s works for one person, may not work for another person. One person’s food is another person’s poison. This is why every program that I work on with my clients is tailored to their needs and their body. Here’s an example. Many people drink milk and it’s really good for them and their body reacts favorably when they drink it. To others, milk and other dairy products can have an adverse reaction or an allergy to certain ingredients in the dairy, such as an allergy to lactose.
Do you know CPR?
Yes, I’m professionally certified through the American Red Cross to administer CPR and to also administer first aid.