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If you’re up for a free session visit ItsTimeTexas.org, or make your first appointment by texting 844-262-6224 to set up your health coaching session.

As you all know we only have maybe 10 or 15 minutes with our doctors at every appointment.

That isn’t always enough time  to ask every question you have on your mind.

I was glad when I found the statewide nonprofit  It’s Time Texas and learned that they had free health coaching available to all Texans who need it.

Because of where I am in my diabetes journey, I didn’t think that it was necessary for me to have health coaching. 

In my case, I thought going to the endocrinologist every 3 to 6 months and seeing my primary care doctor just about as often was perfectly fine and I could just address my questions in between appointments or hold on to them as I needed to. 

It turns out that health coaching can be helpful to just about anyone. Here are a few reasons why I found health coaching beneficial and why I think it changed my life. 

What health coaching is and what it isn’t

“I went into my health coaching session expecting the coach on the other end to gather my health history, ask what I was doing to manage my chronic illness, and tell me step-by-step everything ELSE I should be doing to take care of myself.

While health coaching is some of that, it is also very different. 

My call with my health coach was a safe place where we could discuss one aspect of my health at a time.

So instead of going into every problem or every issue I had with my health, I was able to talk to my health coach about what I was struggling with most. 

During my call, we decided to focus on sleep and how it has an effect on blood sugar. 

It took away that overwhelming factor of having to fix everything at once, and gave me the hope that I could start small, start building habits and then make larger changes over time.

I appreciated the focus in my call

Once I had my information collected and my coach and I set the stage for the conversation, I appreciated the fact that we focused on one thing at a time.

For me,  that was sleep in relation to my blood sugar.

I noted that I’d been having issues staying asleep at night and I was constantly popping up in the middle of the night and then not feeling tired enough to go back to sleep.

I noticed that my blood sugars were fluctuating a lot during these times. When I woke up in the morning my blood sugar was way out of range. 

I told my health coach about this and we had a conversation about sleep and the ways that it affects blood sugar. She taught me a few things that I didn’t know about why sleep is actually important. 

The follow-up

My coach and I had a really great conversation and after about 45 minutes the call of course had to come to an end.

At the end of our call she asked me if there was anything else that I wanted to know.  

I told her that I wanted to know more about the correlation between diabetes and getting rest, and how your blood sugars are affected by a lack of sleep.

Within about five minutes after the call my health coach sent me a list of resources to help me understand more about the topics that I was interested in after our session.

The follow-up was really what impressed me most.

I loved the conversation, I loved the focus, I even loved the information and the rapport that I built with my health coach. 

But, I think the follow-up and sending me information that was tailored to the conversation that we had just had, and sending it so quickly, was one of those things that I just did not expect. 

It was the icing on the cake.

Why health coaching can benefit you 

If you don’t have constant access to your doctors, or you feel like you need to touch base in between your appointments, health coaching can be  a tool for checking in on your health in between appointments with your care team.

The Living Healthier Program through the nonprofit It’s Time Texas is truly a no-strings-attached resource. if you need the help it’s there for you and it’s there for free.

There are no commitments to using the service, and coaching can last as long as you’d like. Whether you need two sessions, or 10, they are there for you. 

Here’s more of what It’s Time Texas offers its coaching clients (and did I mention again that it’s free?)

• Free phone & text-based support
• Help with goal setting, meal planning, and progress tracking
• Motivation, encouragement, and accountability
• Specialized expertise in pre-diabetes, chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol) weight management, behavior change, and overall health
• Personalized tools and resources you won’t find anywhere else

I really like using health coaching as a part of my overall care and diabetes management. I’m really glad that It’s Time Texas exists and that there is a way to meet my goals and receive the support I’m looking for.

If you’re up for a free session visit ItsTimeTexas.org, or make your first appointment by texting 844-262-6224 to set up your health coaching session.

I already can’t wait until my next one. The first health coaching session was so helpful.