Health Break: How health coaching helps you make real, lasting changes

Camille: Welcome to Health Break by UPMC Health Plan, your quick guide to health, wellness, and how to make the most of your health insurance plan. I’m your host, Dr. Camille Clarke-Smith. This is your…Health Break.

Making healthy changes isn’t just about knowing what to do—it’s about sticking with it long enough to see results. That’s where personalized health coaching makes a difference. In this “Health Break,” we’re talking with Elana Glick about why having a health coach helps you stay consistent, how coaching works beyond just goal setting, and what you can expect when you start a program.
Welcome, Elana, to today’s “Health Break.”

Elana: Thank you so much for having me, Camille. Happy to be here.

Camille: Happy to have you. So first question for you, Elana: Most people know what they should do to be healthier. So why do they struggle?

Elana: Yeah. So change is hard. I think when it comes to knowing what we should do, people who set out to make healthy changes have a plethora of resources available to them, right? And a lot of people know the steps that it takes to make a change. If they’re looking to quit tobacco use or become more physically active or change their diet, we can find many, many resources. But it’s not just about knowing what to do. If it were that easy, I think none of us would have anything that we would be working on.

It’s just not always that easy. And that’s because change is made up of a lot of small but important habits that need to be developed over time to build skills to help us work through challenging situations and to achieve that success.

You know, there’s this idea that we need to have willpower. And it’s really not just about willpower; it’s about building these skills. Most people who want to make changes deeply desire that change, but it’s figuring out how to work through those barriers that are very real to making those changes.

And so there are resources and tools out there. We have health coaching available at UPMC Health Plan, which really helps to provide a level of support and accountability, as well as evidence-based education, to help people move from point A to point B by building healthy skills along the way.

Camille: So you talked about building healthy skills along the way. I’m assuming building habits, right? But I know there are good habits and bad habits. So can you share how does coaching help people break unhealthy habits for good?

Elana: Yeah. So our coaches really partner with members to understand what their motivations are and where are their biggest challenges, because everyone’s challenges are unique. And so our coaches are going to help them build skills like tracking, problem solving, goal setting to understand where they can make some realistic changes in their life day to day, week to week.

And so an important part of that is to be able to look at where can I replace one habit with another. For example, we can all say, “OK, I’d like to spend less time on the couch and if I can spend less time on the couch, I can be doing something else.” But that’s just not enough to say I’m going to spend less time on the couch after work or on the weekends. We need to replace one habit with something else, with another habit. And so it might be, “Well, I’m going to spend less time on the couch, and instead of being on the couch right after work, I’m going to go for a 15-minute walk.”

OK, great. So what is it going to take to set yourself up to be able to take that 15-minute walk? Is it that you change into your clothes to go for a walk right after work? Is it that I’m gonna make sure I have my shoes ready to go and right by the door so that it’s less time to prepare? How can I set up my day to now create these new habits that will ultimately replace the habits that I’m trying to break? And our coaches can really help and partner with members to plan for those steps and plan for those changes.

Like I said before, we know that change is hard. And so here’s somebody who can say, “Hey, I have the expertise, but also the compassion and the empathy to be by your side.” And again, look at the process of that change. That, “Yeah, we’ll get to that outcome. If you’re looking to lose weight or quit tobacco use or manage your stress better, that point A to point B, we’ll get to point B, but I’m here to partner with you along the way to help you build those small changes that will lead to that long-term success.”

And so our coaches are there, whether it’s through, you know, digital messaging or through a virtual face-to-face session or through a telephone call to really partner with our members and help to address their individual needs and goals, partner with our members.

Camille: That’s what we do here at UPMC, right? Partners in your care, I love it. So can you share what are some common health myths that coaching helps debunk?

Elana: I think that a lot of people feel that progress should be linear. I think that when it comes to making changes or when we set out to achieve goals in our life that we do think we’re always going to be seeing consistent progress and that we’re not going to fall backwards. And that’s just not true. We are human. We make mistakes. We have slips. And our coaches are really there to help with that shifting that perspective of what it means to make changes and to understand that there will be challenges. And there are always going to be barriers. And how can we bounce back and build that resiliency?

I also think, too, that it’s about the journey and not just the destination. That we are in a culture that often focuses on the outcomes of behavior change. And yes, for some people, it might be about that number on the scale that they’re hoping to achieve, or it might be about reducing or totally quitting tobacco use. And those are all great goals for people. But there’s so much that happens along the way.

And our coaches really celebrate our members’ success. And as you build these healthy habits over time, it’s really about that journey that makes that outcome happen and makes it a sustainable change for the rest of somebody’s life.

Camille: I like the fact that you’re working—you’re focusing—on the journey rather than just a destination. So many people get down about that and I like how the health coaches come in to support that. So I have one more question for you: What’s the most surprising thing people learn when they start working with the health coach?

Elana: Yeah, I think that, you know, first that our coaches are not there to yell at somebody. They’re not there to shame anybody into doing anything. You know, we don’t tell people what to do. We’ll, again, provide education and support to help people reach their goals and build those healthy habits.

But, you know, somebody might be facing enough shame or pressure in their life to be making this change from other people or from themselves. And we’re not we’re not there to make anyone feel badly about the things that they’re doing. We are there to support and celebrate and empower members to know that they can make these changes and they are capable.

So I think that’s one, and also I think it’s surprising for people to realize how sincere and authentic the connection with their coach can be. You know, at the end of the day, as somebody finishes engaging with our coaching team, you know, they’re the ones who have done all the hard work. But a lot of the times we’ll hear members say that their coach was a really integral part of that process for them, that having that support really made a difference.

A couple of other surprising things about health coaching for our members is that they don’t realize that this is included in their benefits. Health coaching is free for them, and we do not cap how often somebody can connect with our coaches. How often and how long somebody works with us is really a decision that’s made between the coach and the member, but it is all included in their benefits.

The other thing is that our coaching services are a front door to other resources and services of the Health Plan. So somebody might come to us because they might be looking to lose weight, but maybe they just also recently got diagnosed with a chronic condition, or they’re looking to get support in another area of their life. Our coaches will connect members to other services and resources depending on what other needs they have. We’re going to make sure you get connected to the right teams to help to support you.

Camille: Thank you so much, Elana, for joining us today in today’s “Health Break.”

Elana: Thank you so much for having me. It was great to be here.

Camille: If you’ve ever struggled to stick with a health goal, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to do it alone. UPMC Health Plan’s free coaching program helps members make lasting changes in a way that actually fits their lives. Get started today by visiting the member health and wellness section of our website. Check the show notes for more information.

Find show notes and more information at upmchealthplan.com/podcast. Join us as we continue exploring health, wellness, and how to make the most of your health insurance plan in the next episode of Health Break.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes. It is not medical care or advice. Individuals in need of medical care should consult their personal care provider. Views and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of UPMC Health Plan and its employees.