If you are thinking of changing directions and getting into a field that is professionally, personally, and financially rewarding, a wellness coach career might be the perfect choice for you. Like fitness? Like healthy eating? Want to delay the aging process? Want to help others pursue a healthy lifestyle? If you answered “YES” to these questions, than a wellness coach career might be in your future.

Wellness Coach – Career Beginnings

To get started in your wellness coaching career, the first step is to get an education. Earning a bachelor’s degree is preferred, but it is not an absolute necessity. If you do get a degree, the preferred degree fields are psychology, counseling, health, or any related field. Social work and behavioral science are two other fields that can help you make a transition into coaching. Within these degrees, you can take courses in counseling, communication, psychology, nutrition, and fitness training.

Whether you have a college degree or not, you should enroll in a good accredited coaching program after which you can earn a wellness coaching certification. Taking courses through a program that is accredited by the International Coach Federation, the American College of Sports Medicine, or similar organizations is preferred. Courses may offer live classes, online courses, workshops, webinars, seminars, and mentor coaching.

Wellness Coach – Career Experience

Once you have the right amount of education and the preferred certification, it is time to gain some experience – to begin your career. Though you will be working, most careers start slowly. You can start out on your own or start out by working for someone else. A great way to begin is to become a personal trainer. Personal training will provide valuable experience working with clients and running a coaching business. Once you have accumulated some experience, you can officially call yourself a wellness coach and you can begin your career.

To make a career in the wellness coach business, you should be able to offer your clients knowledge and expertise in fitness, nutrition, behavior modification, and health. Being able to offer counseling in all aspects of wellness will give you an advantage on other coaches who merely offer fitness or nutrition.

This brings us to the difference between a wellness coach and a fitness trainer or a nutritionist. Besides the fact that you offer a wider range of services, there is also the fact that you are a coach. A fitness trainer or a nutritionist is hired to provide guidance, motivation, and hands-on support for their clients. They are hired to tell their clients what to do. A coach is not hired to tell their clients what to do – a coach is hired to empower clients to discover their own answers and solutions and to create their own road map to success. Do you provide guidance, knowledge, and motivation at times – certainly – but your main purpose is to help your clients find their own answers and envision their own future as a healthier, happier human being.

Can you think of career than one in wellness coaching? If you love fitness, health, nutrition, and helping others, a wellness coach career is ideal for you!

Hope you took some great value out of this post today! I’d love to hear your feedback, so make sure you leave a comment with your thoughts or questions. And also, you can click on the Twitter button below to retweet this article… Thank you!

Fred Philips
Business Coach
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