The health and wellness industry is growing fast as more people become aware of the value in preventative health rather than curative. Health coaching has become a rapidly growing career. Paul Zane Pelzer is a New York Times selling author who first predicted that health and wellness would soon be a trillion dollar industry. Anyone who interested in becoming a health coach should be interested in health, wellness and natural strategies to living well. The demand for health coaches increases every year.

To become a successful and credible health coach, you should walk the walk and talk the talk. You must live a healthy lifestyle yourself. If you are overweight, a smoker, or a fast food consumer, you probably are not a good fit for this field. Likewise, if you live a healthy lifestyle, cook your own foods, exercise regularly and are knowledgeable about many health related topics, health coaching is a career you should consider.

Determine whether you would be a good fit for a career as a health coach or wellness coach. Do you have patience, compassion, and a genuine desire to help people improve their health and happiness? You should be a genuinely caring person. It is essential to practice what you would be preaching.

Before getting into a health counseling field, investigate what type of salary you could expect to make. Do some research into what wellness coaches or health counselors make in your area to determine what you might expect to make as a wellness professional. Consider the demographics where you are living and if the population and economy is favorable for a health counseling business.

Most health coaches work for themselves in private practice. Do you have a good business background and desire to work for yourself? You would need to have good organizational skills, marketing knowledge and be able to stay focused. Are you good at working by yourself when you're not seeing clients or would you be better suited to working in a wellness center type of environment?

One of the most important things to consider is the quality of the school you are considering to attend for certification. Many programs offer online and study at home course, other schools, such as the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City requires attendance at their weekend classes. Look into several schools and compare their qualifications, tuition, and the success of their graduated. Make sure you are only evaluating schools that are accredited to give certifications in wellness coaching, holistic health counseling, etc. Contact your local colleges and also evaluate their programs as well. Options would include getting a degree in dietetics, public health, and other fields such as counseling.

Search for graduates from the health counseling school you are considering to get feedback on their experience and any recommendations they may have. Ask them about their experiences with their health coaching career and get their feedback on career options and expected income as a health coach. Some schools offer discounts to friends and family of alumni, which could be an added benefit to contacting a recent grad of a nutrition school you are considering.

Cheryl Heppard helps health practitioners and fitness trainers/coaches build their business using proven internet marketing strategies and creative marketing techniques. She is a freelance health and wellness writer, and has a monthly column in Women's Lifestyle magazine and a successful coaching practice in the Birmingham-Bloomfield area of Michigan. She is also a business and marketing coach and teaches fellow coaches how to successfully utilized internet marketing to find clients efficiently and create additional streams while marketing online.