You must have surely heard about the hot new career of being a Certified Lifestyle Coach and may be wondering whether this career is suitable for you or one of your dear ones. Well, you have come to the correct place, as I have compiled answers to most of your probable doubts regarding becoming a Certified Lifestyle Coach, here.

What is Lifestyle Coaching?

Lifestyle is today regarded by medical researchers as one of the most important factors affecting health, along with genetics, environment etc. Poor lifestyles destroy health and wellness, whereas healthy lifestyles promote not only health but a sense of well-being, happiness and peak performance. In many developed countries, lifestyle management for effecting healthy lifestyle modifications has emerged as an alternative or supplement to conventional treatments using medicines. Doctors have started prescribing such lifestyle modification interventions and health insurance providers have started reimbursing such programs. This trend is sure to catch up in developing countries like India too, as these are fundamentally better for patients, doctors and health insurance providers. Since doctors and nurses can’t handle this additional responsibility, this would require people to be professionally trained in Lifestyle Coaching.

What is Lifestyle Coaching Certification?

Since Lifestyle Coaching involves an impact on people’s health at a very fundamental level, it is imperative that there should be a Lifestyle Coaching Certification. Conventional universities and medical schools are yet to offer Lifestyle Coaching Certification on a massive scale, especially in developing countries like India. Instead, this pressing need in the job market for Certified Lifestyle Coaches is met by well-known health and wellness brands that have the know-how to deliver Lifestyle Coaching Certification programs. Such programs are advantageous for candidates taking them, as these wellness organizations know what the healthcare-conscious consumers are seeking, whether it is weight loss or prevention or disease management or performance optimization. Lifestyle Coaching Certification provides a benchmarked way for employers to assess the Lifestyle Coaching aspirants applying to be Lifestyle Coaches at their organization.

What is Health Coaching Certification?

Health Coaching Certification is synonymous with Lifestyle Coaching Certification in most contexts. Similarly, a Health Coach can mean the same as a Lifestyle Coach. However, in some contexts, it can mean more. A Health Coaching Certification may involve more professional healthcare topics which equip candidates to deliver more in-depth health services to their clients like diet creation and exercise regimen formulation. Such a Health Coaching Certification is more suited for healthcare professionals like dieticians, nutritionists, physiotherapists, fitness trainers, etc.

What is Wellness Coaching Certification?

Wellness Coaching Certification is more or less the same as Lifestyle Coaching Certification. However, Wellness is more associated with prevention or a disease-free state, Wellness Coaching Certification may involve more modules about topics like prevention, happiness management, peak performance etc. As such, Wellness Coaching Certification is more suitable for candidates more interested in delivering the preventive or wellness needs of their clients. A prior and formal education in any healthcare profession is not a prerequisite for Wellness Coaching Certification.

How Can I Become a Certified Lifestyle Coach?

The first step in your journey to become a Certified Lifestyle Coach is to identify the most well-designed Lifestyle Coaching Certification program. In developing countries like India, these courses are more readily available from renowned health and wellness brands rather than from universities and colleges. Apart from brand value, you can identify the best Lifestyle Coaching Certification by looking at the course contents, whether they include advanced topics like genetic testing, metabolic assessment, epigenetics, personalization, research-validated lifestyle interventions, biohacking, wearable health monitors, AI & IoT based tools, advanced coaching apps etc.

(Issued in public interest by VieGyan, which trains candidates to pursue the career of a Certified Lifestyle Coach. VieGyan is the Lifestyle Coaching Certification division of Bengaluru-based health-tech startup Vieroots Wellness Solutions, the first and foremost player in personalized geno-metabolic lifestyle management through their EPLIMO App.)