A health coach is a service provider you can hire to help you realize your wellness goals. You can hire a health and wellness coach to guide you through life changes, keep you focused on weight loss or fitness goals, help boost your mental health, and more. Many health coaches work with their clients for set periods of time as the client moves toward a measurable goal. Wellness coaches come from varying backgrounds, and may have different areas of focus depending on their education and training. Research potential coaches by reading their reviews, researching their academic and personal backgrounds, and learning about any certifications they have earned from coaching institutes. Often, health and wellness coaches sell coaching packages ranging from three to six months or longer, depending on the client’s needs. The average national cost for an individual health coach session ranges from $60 to $90, although prices may range as low as $30 or up to $130 or more, depending on your location and the coach.

Nutrition counseling can be a critical component of good health care, especially for people recently diagnosed with diabetes or high cholesterol who need to adhere to a specific diet. People also meet with nutritionists for help developing a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet, developing an eating plan to lose weight or gain muscle, or improving their sports performance by changing their diet. Nutritionists may be covered by health insurance depending on your reason for meeting with them. Nutrition counseling is more likely to be covered if it is part of a doctor-prescribed treatment for a particular medical condition, such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure or coronary heart disease. For example, Medicare covers medical nutrition therapy services only for people diagnosed with diabetes or kidney disease, as long as they get a referral from their doctor. Also, insurance providers more often cover nutrition visits if the patient has been referred to a registered dietitian within the carrier’s network of providers. Insurance plans vary greatly, so research your benefits before visiting a nutritionist.

When you want to reach new heights with your health and wellness, consider hiring a holistic wellness coach. Much like a health coach, a holistic wellness coach is focused on your well-being and meets with you in one-on-one sessions to help you identify and reach your targeted goals. A holistic wellness coach will typically have you take all components of your life into account when working to achieve your goals. If your goal is to lose weight, a holistic wellness coach will not only offer recommendations for your diet and exercise, but also discuss your emotional health, your work/life balance, your spiritual side, and each area of your life that affects your ability to follow a nutrition and fitness plan.

Although they are highly motivational and often can help clients achieve great results, holistic wellness coaches are not professional health care providers or registered dietitians. Different institutes and training centers provide certifications for holistic wellness coaching, so be sure to research your coach and read their reviews to understand more about their techniques and training.  

A nutritionist provides expertise and guidance to help clients with all diet-related health matters, including losing weight, gaining muscle, improving their sports performance, and managing diabetes or high cholesterol. Nutritionists can help people learn to follow special diets in a healthy way, such as becoming vegetarian or vegan or developing a low-sodium or gluten-free eating plan. The average national cost of a nutritionist is $60 to $100. Nutritionists often require an initial consultation with a new client, during which they’ll take a medical history, assess the client’s nutritional needs, and determine the best course of action; this first meeting usually averages $100-$120 for a 45-minute to 90-minute consultation. Subsequent nutritional counseling sessions generally cost less, ranging from an average of $45 for a half-hour session to $60-$90 for a one-hour session. Like many professional service providers, nutritionists may offer discounts through package pricing. For instance, a one-month package with two sessions and email support costs an average of $190; a three-month package with three sessions and email support costs an average of $360; and a six-month package with six sessions and email support costs an average of $540.