What Is a Health Coach: A Lifestyle Medicine Health Tutor For A Second Youth
It’s The Missing Link Between Medical Opinion Or Advice and Real-Life Change
If you have ever left a doctor’s appointment with good advice but no real plan for how to live it out on Tuesday afternoon, this week and for the rest of your life, you are not alone. A quaified health coach helps bridge that gap by turning medical directives and good intentions into practical, sustainable habits that fit your actual life. [1]
That is especially important in midlife, when many women are managing changing hormones, shifting energy, new health concerns, and the quiet frustration of wondering what to do and struggling to make health-promoting choices consistently. A National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, or NBC-HWC, is trained in the process of change and in partnering with clients to create self-directed, lasting change that aligns with their values, preferences and vision for health. [2]
In other words, a health coach is not simply another voice giving more “must-do” advice. She is a guide, a partner, and in my case, a “Lifestyle Medicine Health Tutor for a Second Youth.”
A school tutor helps you get better grades.
A qualified health coach helps you realize better health.
What is a Health Coach
The National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching defines health and wellness coaching as a client-centered process where coaches partner with clients who want lasting change that supports health, wellness, and overall well-being. That means the client is not treated like a passive patient waiting to be told what to do. She is treated as the expert on her own life, while a qualified coach helps her uncover motivation, identify obstacles (plus the pre-planned solutions to overcome them), stay on track and build a realistic path forward. [3]
On top of all that, well-equipped health coaches provide evidence-based information for “Why” and “How” to change, not just a checklist of information.
If I handed you the takeoff checklist for a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, would you then be able to pilot that plane?
“When you get information in a personalized, easily digestible amount of information in a manner that shows you how to apply it to your life from a health coach, with background evidence for “why,” then you are empowered to make informed, confidence decisions. Not just for today or this week, but for a lifetime.”
Online workshops are a great team-building activity, as done here for a fitness company.
When you work with a health coach, you can put things into practice right away and start experiencing positive change. You can work with health coaches many ways. In my practice, I mostly work with women either through private sessions or through the Second Youth Wellness Method digital course. I also have worked with people through cooking classes, workshops and presentations.
As many of my clients reflect, they don’t want a to-do checklist, they want a lifestyle change so they can make empowered, informed choices and keep enjoying the things they love.
This is why the idea of a health tutor fits so well. A tutor does not take the test for the student. A tutor also does not simply repeat information from the textbook and hope it’s right. A good tutor helps the student understand the material, practice the process, work through obstacles, and build confidence over time. In much the same way, a well-trained health coach helps others to learn how to apply healthy living in the middle of their own real routines, preferences, limitations, responsibilities, and goals.
What Makes an NBC-HWC Different
Not all health coaching credentials are the same. An NBC-HWC has completed a lengthy approved training program and passed a rigorous national board certification exam developed in partnership with the National Board of Medical Examiners, which establishes a recognized standard for professional competence in coaching skills, ethics, and behavior-change support. [4]
That matters because the work of coaching is more than encouragement. A qualified NBC-HWC is trained to use evidence-based communication and behavior-change methods, help clients clarify values and goals, support accountability, and collaborate without stepping outside the profession’s scope of practice. In plain language, she knows how to help women move from “I should” to “I can” to “I am.” [5]
Qualified Coaching Counts
Earning the NBC-HWC certification is at the pinnacle of the health coaching profession.
< Proud moment: The day I got notice that I passed the National Board exam!
What a Lifestyle Medicine Health Tutor Does
As a Lifestyle Medicine Health Tutor for a Second Youth, my role is not to hand out a rigid script for your life. My role is to help you understand the principles of healthy living and then practice them in ways that make sense for your season.
That often includes helping a client:
Clarify what better health actually looks like for her right now.
Break a big goal into small, doable weekly actions.
Notice patterns around food, sleep, movement, stress, and mindset.
Prepare for obstacles instead of being surprised by them.
Build consistency with encouragement, reflection, and accountability.
Translate medical recommendations into everyday decisions she can actually carry out. [6]
For many midlife women, that support is the difference between collecting information and living it. Information overload, confusion and frustration go hand-in-hand-in-hand for a vicious cycle. A health coach helps you create a virtuous cycle that you benefit from.
The Benefits of Having a Health Coach
Research suggests that health and wellness coaching can improve important short-term outcomes such as self-efficacy (“I can do this!”), quality of life, and depression symptoms (lost hope) in people with chronic conditions, from diabetes to arthritis or heart disease to heartburn. That matters because when a woman begins to feel more hopeful, more capable, and more supported, she is often more able to follow through with the small changes that create momentum. [7]
Health coaching has also been associated with meaningful improvements in health behaviors and clinical outcomes such as blood sugar control, body mass index, physical activity, and chronic disease self-management. A 2023 review of multiple studies found that most studies reported sustained gains or improved outcomes over time in at least one area, which suggests coaching can support longer-term change rather than only short bursts of motivation. [8]
Short term, a client may experience more clarity, better follow-through, and a stronger sense that change is possible. Long term, she may build healthier routines, greater confidence, better communication with her healthcare team, and a more stable foundation for the future. [9]
In addition to feeling better with medically significant improvements, many of my clients also report having brighter hope for the future to be able to play with or care for their grandchildren, to keep living independently and having reduced medical costs.
Health Coaching Via Zoom Video
Private Health Coaching takes place via video or phone calls; clients usually meet weekly or bi-monthly.
Why This Matters in Midlife
Midlife often exposes the gap between information and implementation over time. You may know that more whole plant foods, better sleep, stress support, regular movement, and consistent habits would help, yet still feel stuck when life gets busy, symptoms shift, motivation fades and you face a slew of confusing options out there.
This is where the health tutor idea becomes practical. Like the process of working with a math tutor, a “health tutor'“ helps you learn how to work with your real life instead of waiting for ideal circumstances. For women who are plant curious but nervous, this can be especially freeing.
There is no need to become a different person overnight. There is simply an invitation to start learning, practicing, and growing one step at a time.
The Stakes
There are gentle but real stakes here. Without support, it is easy to keep circling around the same health goals year after year, trying harder for a week or two and then slipping back into familiar patterns. Good advice can remain just that—advice—without ever becoming a lived rhythm.
Over time, this can lead to discouragement, confusion, and the feeling that nothing really works. It may also mean that important recommendations from a physician or specialist never fully become part of daily life. The issue is not usually laziness or lack of intelligence. More often, it is the absence of an evidence-based, supportive process for change. [10]
A qualified health coach helps create that process. Instead of relying only on willpower, you gain structure, reflection, accountability, and a trusted guide who helps you keep moving forward.
“The issue is not usually laziness or lack of intelligence. More often, it is the absence of an evidence-based, supportive process for change.”
Practical Application: What You Can Do Today
You do not have to wait for the perfect moment to begin making positive changes. Here are a few practical next steps you can take right now.
1. Start where you feel ready
In my world, plant-predominant dietary choices and healthy lifestyle habits most often result in the best outcomes. If you are plant curious but nervous, begin by choosing one simple resource that makes healthy eating feel approachable instead of overwhelming. That might look like buying a beginner-friendly whole-food, plant-based cookbook, trying one new recipe a week, or learning a few easy plant-forward swaps for breakfast or lunch.
2. Coach yourself through one habit
Pick one area of your life that feels most ready for change—food, sleep, movement, stress, or mindset. Ask yourself: What is one small action I can repeat this week? Keep it simple enough that success feels possible.
3. Follow the SYW blog and learn step by step
If you are not ready for coaching, you can still begin where you are. Follow my Second Youth Wellness blog, read the articles, and use the content to coach yourself through one change at a time. Progress often begins with learning to think differently before you live differently, so this information can help you make that paradigm shift while you prepare for taking action steps.
4. Reach out to see if coaching is a fit
Sometimes the fastest path forward is not more information, but more support. I find that many midlife women experience feelings of loneliness or resistance at home from a spouse or adult children. Having personalized support helps. If you are tired of starting over and want a clear, compassionate process,reach out and ask whether coaching through Second Youth Wellness might be a good fit for this season.
5. Go bigger and enroll in SYWM
If you are ready for more guided support, enrolling in the Second Youth Wellness Method can give you structure, accountability, and a personalized path forward. Instead of trying to piece everything together alone, you can walk with a guide (me!) who helps you apply lifestyle medicine principles in ways that fit your real life.
Bringing It All Together
At the end of the day, health coaching is not about perfection. It is about learning how to make wise, sustainable choices with the life and body you have right now, with support that honors your values, your season, and your goals. If you have been longing for a practical, grace-filled way to connect what you know with how you actually live, working with a Lifestyle Medicine Health Tutor for a Second Youth may be the missing link that helps you move forward with more clarity, confidence, and hope.
Scope and Credentials
Please note that a credentialed health coach has an important role in interdisciplinary care, but also has clear professional boundaries. Any health coach, and especially a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, does not, and should not, diagnose disease, treat medical or mental health conditions, or prescribe medications within the coaching role unless uniquely qualified or licensed to do so. [11]
References
https://nbhwc.org/whatisanationalboard-certifiedhealthandwellnesscoach/
https://nbhwc.org/whatisanationalboard-certifiedhealthandwellnesscoach/
https://nbhwc.org/whatisanationalboard-certifiedhealthandwellnesscoach/
Kasey R. Boehmer, Neri A. Álvarez-Villalobos, Suzette Barakat, Humberto de Leon-Gutierrez, Fernando G. Ruiz-Hernandez, Gabriela G. Elizondo-Omaña, Héctor Vaquera-Alfaro, Sangwoo Ahn, Gabriela Spencer-Bonilla, Michael R. Gionfriddo, Juan M. Millan-Alanis, Marwan Abdelrahim, Larry J. Prokop, M. Hassan Murad, Zhen Wang; The impact of health and wellness coaching on patient-important outcomes in chronic illness care: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Patient Education and Counseling, Volume 117, 2023,107975, ISSN 0738-3991, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2023.107975.
Ahmann E, Saviet M, Conboy L, Smith K, Iachini B, DeMartin R. Health and Wellness Coaching and Sustained Gains: A Rapid Systematic Review. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2023;18(2):162-180. Published 2023 Jun 20. doi:10.1177/1559827623118011; https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10979731/
Kasey R. Boehmer, Neri A. Álvarez-Villalobos, Suzette Barakat, Humberto de Leon-Gutierrez, Fernando G. Ruiz-Hernandez, Gabriela G. Elizondo-Omaña, Héctor Vaquera-Alfaro, Sangwoo Ahn, Gabriela Spencer-Bonilla, Michael R. Gionfriddo, Juan M. Millan-Alanis, Marwan Abdelrahim, Larry J. Prokop, M. Hassan Murad, Zhen Wang; The impact of health and wellness coaching on patient-important outcomes in chronic illness care: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Patient Education and Counseling, Volume 117, 2023,107975, ISSN 0738-3991, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2023.107975.
