More exercise, a more balanced diet, quitting smoking – who hasn’t let at least one of these resolutions slip away without success? With the right technique and professional guidance, the chances of making a lasting change to a healthier lifestyle increase.
Most adults are aware of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. Yet many do not consume enough fruits and vegetables. In addition, one-third of adults do not reach the health minimum of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. An unhealthy lifestyle – which, in addition to lack of exercise and an unbalanced diet, also includes smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and stress – is the most important risk factor for the occurrence of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer or diabetes. The fact that these non-communicable diseases account for 80% of healthcare costs in Switzerland highlights their importance. The good news is that a large number of these diseases could be prevented by a healthy lifestyle.
Benefits of exercise
In fact, numerous studies show that physical activity, for example, not only improves sleep or increases endurance, but also affects heart function. The positive effect of exercise on coronary heart disease, strokes or diabetes is even on par with the effect of medication. Exercise can also provide relief from mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety. Not to mention the obvious benefits when it comes to preventing musculoskeletal limitations such as hip or knee pain through regular stretching and strength training.
Although exercise has many benefits, we often find it difficult to meet the exercise recommendations of 30 minutes per day. Changing health-related behaviors is complex and involves many different areas of life. It is therefore hardly surprising that a recommendation alone rarely leads to sustainable behavioral changes. Many lack the time and motivation to achieve their goals in their crowded daily lives with competing priorities. Based on these findings, it was clear to Prof. Lukas Zahner (former head of the Department of Sport, Physical Activity and Health at the University of Basel) that, as with nutrition, there must be well-trained “physical activity advisors” to support people in implementing their plans. Therefore, intensive research has led to the development of telephone coaching for the promotion of physical activity over the last few years. This has resulted in Personal Health Coaching.
“A recommendation is like a medicine, where you have to know how to dose it correctly.” Lukas Zahner
Personal Health Coaching
Personal Health Coaching was developed at the University of Basel to support individuals in implementing behavioral changes. The basis for the development of the coaching was the findings of an interdisciplinary research community that conducted intensive research on behavior change at University College London. Various studies have examined strategies designed to influence the health behaviors of specific target groups. Such methods are called behavior change techniques (BCTs). One of these, for example, is self-monitoring. Individuals who monitored their actions and documented them “in black and white” were more successful in achieving their physical activity goals. Based on these research results, scientists at the University of Basel developed Personal Health Coaching and tested its effectiveness in a large-scale study. In this study, “Movingcall,” biweekly coaching was compared to a one-time written recommendation. The intervention consisted of evidence-based behavior change techniques as well as exercise recommendations, which was customized to each individual. At the end of the six-month study, it was found that biweekly coached individuals had 165 more minutes of physical activity per week and were thus significantly more active than study participants who were only coached once in writing. The increase in physical activity achieved was maintained six months after the end of the intervention. The survey of the participants also showed that the personal relationship with their coach was particularly valued.
This personal contact with the participants or coachees, allows the coach to take into account personal likes or dislikes. People who are accompanied by a Personal Health Coach therefore often give feedback such as: “It was very valuable to have someone by your side who responds to your personal needs, who encourages you to think about yourself and to whom you are accountable after two weeks”.
For Lukas Zahner, the clarity of the results made it clear that personal health coaching should be made available outside of the study setting and he founded SalutaCoach AG. He is convinced that people who want or need to change their behavior, for example due to a recommendation from a doctor, are currently still often left to their own devices. Personal Health Coaching can close exactly this gap.
Personal Health Coaches
The Personal Health Coaches have – in addition to their basic studies in sports science, psychology, physiotherapy or similar – all completed additional training as Personal Health Coaches. In addition to the specialized knowledge, they have also acquired competencies for autonomy-promoting and client-centered coaching as well as the teaching of behavior change techniques. Due to this academic training and the scientifically tested approach, Personal Health Coaches are awarded the EMR quality label. The EMR (Erfahrungs Medizinisches Register) is an interest group of the large Swiss health insurance companies and checks the qualification of therapists. Through this certification, Personal Health Coaching is already supported by 12 health insurers within the framework of private supplementary insurance. By recognizing coaches who offer preventive approaches and alternatives to drug therapies, interested parties are given the opportunity to receive health-oriented care.
Those who participate in Personal Health Coaching embark on a journey to a more vital and healthy future. As a basis for the coaching, after a health analysis, a record is kept of what one eats, how stressed one is and how one moves or exercises. In regular telephone calls, the coach explains, for example, what effects certain foods and behaviors can have on the body. If, for example, the focus is on weight loss, the coach asks, based on the food logs, whether one could imagine replacing one food with another or points out where there is still a deficiency. The clients appreciate that the coach does not force them to do anything, but rather shows them alternatives and motivates them to try new things. Unlike many other offers, the coach does not provide ready-made programs that show exactly what needs to be done and when. The goal of Personal Health Coaching is to develop skills that enable people to independently integrate exercise into their daily routine, just like brushing their teeth or washing their hands.
The fact that a balanced diet is a key factor for a healthy body has long since entered our consciousness. However, exercise plays no less a role when it comes to physical and mental well-being. It’s like clockwork: all the wheels have to be in tune with each other for the clock to run properly. However, often only individual wheels of this clock are considered and a holistic approach is missing, which takes into account the effect of exercise, nutrition and stress on all wheels. And often the importance of exercise for the human health clockwork is underestimated. Yet it’s no secret that physical activity works just as well as medication. And it does so free of charge and without any side effects. But how do I know how to exercise correctly? Who corrects my mistakes? And how am I supposed to find time for exercise on top of work, family and hobbies? On top of that, the inner pig dog must first be overcome and the sports shoes laced up. All these questions show how normal these behavior patterns are and how helpful personal health coaching can be.
