Health coach guiding a client through a fitness and wellness session.
Online Certification

Health Coach Certification

Turn Your Passion for Health into a Coaching Career

ExpertRating's Health Coach Certification teaches you the three core pillars of health coaching, nutrition, fitness promotion, and emotional well-being, plus the core coaching skills clients actually need from you.

Demand for health coaches continues to outpace supply. Learn how to guide clients toward a healthier life, build client accountability, and run a real health coaching practice.

$99.99
One-Time Payment
Lifetime
Course Access
Buy Now Buy Combo (50% off additional certifications)

100%

Online

Self-Paced

Learn Anytime

Certificate

Upon Passing
Shannon Clark - Health Coach Certification Course Author
Course Author

Meet Shannon Clark: Exercise Science Expert, Coach, and Fitness Educator

🏋️
Exercise Science
👩‍🏫
Fitness Coach
📚
Educator

Shannon Clark brings together deep fitness expertise, real-world coaching experience, and exceptional communication skills as the course author. With hands-on coaching experience, Shannon has worked directly with clients to improve strength, body composition, movement mechanics, fitness habits, and overall health, allowing her to teach from practical experience as well as science-based knowledge.

Through hundreds of published articles, workout programs, and fitness guides across leading health and wellness platforms, she has helped readers understand how to train smarter, build strength, improve conditioning, support healthy habits, and work toward sustainable results.

Her approach blends evidence-based fitness knowledge with clear, actionable guidance, giving learners the confidence to apply proven wellness and coaching principles in real-world settings. Through her writing and educational work, Shannon has built a strong reputation for breaking down advanced concepts into step-by-step strategies that students, fitness enthusiasts, and aspiring health coaches can understand and use immediately.

Career Outlook

Why Become a Health Coach

Health coaching combines behavior change, nutrition awareness, fitness promotion, and wellness support to help people build healthier lifestyles that last.

$20.1B

Market Size (2025)

$38B

Projected (2034)

Health coaching sits at the intersection of two things people increasingly want: support in following through on healthy changes, and guidance that looks at the whole person, not just a workout plan or a meal plan. As more people seek practical help with everyday habits, health coaches can play an important role in helping clients build healthier, more sustainable routines.

A health coach works with clients on the full picture of their health, including weight management, nutrition habits, exercise consistency, stress, sleep, and the behavior patterns that shape long-term change. Unlike a personal trainer who focuses primarily on exercise programming, a health coach’s core skill is helping clients identify their own motivation, set realistic goals, and build habits that actually stick. Health coaches often work in partnership with a client’s doctor or other healthcare providers, rather than in place of them.

On the numbers: the global health and wellness coaching market was valued at $20.10 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach approximately $37.96 billion by 2034. For a closely related U.S. occupational category, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that health education specialists earned a median annual wage of $63,000 in May 2024. Current Glassdoor data places the average U.S. Health Coach salary at approximately $63,100 per year, with reported earnings varying by experience, specialization, employer type, location, and client base.

$20.10B

Global Market Value in 2025

$37.96B

Projected Market by 2034

$63,000

Median Annual Wage (May 2024)

$63,100

Average U.S. Health Coach Salary
Course Curriculum

Inside the Course: The Three Pillars of Health Coaching

The course is organized around the three pillars that define real health coaching, plus the role, ethics, and business skills that wrap around them.

The Three Pillars of Health Coaching
1

The Role of a Health Coach

Course Orientation

Introduction to the certification program, course structure, final certification test, and author background.

2

The Three Pillars of Health Coaching

Core Framework

The three foundational pillars of health coaching: physical health and disease management, physical fitness and weight management, and emotional health and well-being.

3

The Role of a Health Coach

Foundations

How a health coach supports clients through education, guidance, structured programs, encouragement, alternative resources, and ongoing support.

4

Comprehensive Nutrition

Pillar: Nutrition

Calorie balance, macronutrients, meal timing, and how to perform a diet assessment for clients.

5

Fitness Promotion

Pillar: Fitness

Aerobic training, steady-state cardio, strength training, program design, exercise selection, reps, sets, rest periods, and flexibility training.

6

Emotional Well-Being Encouragement

Pillar: Emotional Well-Being

Stress management techniques, negative thinking solutions, and balanced living techniques that support emotional and overall wellness.

7

Techniques for Keeping Clients Accountable

Core Coaching Skill

Practical accountability tools including regular goal setting, checklists, homework assignments, daily check-ins, and support buddy systems.

8

Taking Care of Yourself as a Health Coach

Professional Sustainability

Practical accountability tools including regular goal setting, checklists, homework assignments, daily check-ins, and support buddy systems.

9

Marketing Yourself as a Health Coach

Business Development

How to find your business home base, advertise your services, build referrals, maintain customer satisfaction, and develop an online presence.

10. The Final Certification Test

Assessment

Final assessment covering the course material and confirming readiness for certification.

Skills

Core Coaching Skills

Two skills separate a real health coach from someone who simply hands clients a meal plan and a workout schedule: motivational interviewing and behavior change methodology. This course treats both as central, not optional.

Core Coaching Skills
1

Motivational Interviewing

A structured, client-centered conversation style used to help people work through their own ambivalence about change, rather than being told what to do. This is one of the most consistently named core competencies across every recognized health coaching curriculum.

2

Behavior Change Theory

Understanding why habits form and break is what allows a coach to design realistic, sustainable change rather than a plan that looks good on paper but does not survive a client's actual life.

3

Active Listening and Building Trust

Clients open up about health, body image, and lifestyle struggles that they may not discuss with anyone else. The course covers how to build the kind of trust that keeps clients engaged and honest over time.

Certification

Certification Exam Specification

Detail Specification
Format Online multiple-choice exam with one or more correct answers.
Time to complete course 2 to 4 weeks at 1 to 2 hours of study per day, self-paced.
Retake policy Up to three retake attempts if you do not pass, for a $20 fee per retake.
Certificate format Downloadable digital certificate and online transcript; physical hard copy certificate available for an additional fee.
Renewal Renewable after one year for a $30 fee, with a new downloadable certificate issued.
Course access after completion Full study material remains accessible after you complete the certification.
Sample Health Coach Certification Certificate
Start Learning

Sample Health Coach Certification Certificate from ExpertRating

Successfully complete the certification exam and receive a professionally designed certificate that demonstrates your knowledge and can be shared with employers and clients.

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Credentials

Understanding Health Coach Credentials

Health coaching has more than one credentialing path, and it is worth understanding the landscape before you choose where to start.

Board Certification

NBHWC and the NBC-HWC Credential

The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) is the field's dedicated national board. Coaches who complete an NBHWC-approved training program, meet education or experience requirements, log a required number of coaching sessions, and pass the board exam earn the NBC-HWC credential, administered in partnership with the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Professional Certification

ACE Health Coach Certification and NCCA Accreditation

The ACE Health Coach Certification is currently the only NCCA-accredited health coach certification available. NCCA accreditation is a recognized third-party quality standard for professional certifications generally, not specific to any single organization.

ExpertRating

Where ExpertRating's Certification Fits

ExpertRating’s Health Coach Certification is designed as an accessible, affordable, and practical way to build a strong foundation in health coaching. The program covers key areas such as nutrition, fitness promotion, emotional well-being, client accountability, self-care, and business development.

This certification is not an NBHWC-approved training program and is not NCCA-accredited. It is well suited to someone exploring the field or building a knowledge base before pursuing a board-certified credential, or to someone who wants practical coaching knowledge without pursuing board certification at all.

Get Certified

Build practical health coaching knowledge with ExpertRating's Health Coach Certification and develop a strong foundation in nutrition, fitness promotion, emotional well-being, client accountability, self-care, and business development.

VALUE

Pricing Comparison

Health coach training ranges from affordable, self-paced foundational courses to longer programs designed for board-certification or advanced credentialing pathways.

Provider Price Format Accreditation / Eligibility
ExpertRating Health Coach Certification $99.99 one-time Fully online, self-paced courseware with lifetime access Not NBHWC-approved or NCCA-accredited
NBHWC-approved training programs
(e.g. Wellcoaches, IIN, university programs) 		Several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on provider Online, in-person, or hybrid programs Required for NBHWC board exam eligibility leading to NBC-HWC
ACE Health Coach Certification Premium pricing, contact ACE for current rate Online, self-paced NCCA-accredited and an approved NBHWC training pathway
Note: third-party prices reflect publicly available information at time of writing and are subject to change by each provider. Always confirm current pricing and eligibility requirements directly with the provider. NBHWC and ACE are independent organizations; this certification is not affiliated with or issued by either.
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TRUST

Why ExpertRating

tuv

ISO 9001:2015

ISO 9001:2015 certified company, demonstrating compliance with internationally accepted quality management standards.

★

Institute for Credentialing Excellence

Member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (I.C.E.), a professional association for the credentialing community, adhering to quality assurance and ethical practice benchmarks.

Trustpilot
ExpertRating trust and security badges: PayPal, SSL, Trustpilot, ISO 9001.
🌍

Corporate Trust

Trusted by more than 6,500 companies worldwide, including IKEA, Walmart, Dell, Gap, Ericsson and Amadeus, for training and testing needs.

🎓

Global Reach

Over 25 million people certified globally since 2001.

25M+

Certified Since 2001

6,500+

Companies Worldwide

4.7/5

Trustpilot Rating

ISO

9001:2015 Certified

Testimonials

ExpertRating - Real Reviews from Real Students
See what our students are saying about their certification experience.

Chiquita Nicole Chambers ★★★★★
✅ Verified

“ ExpertRating strengthened my credibility and confidence as a fitness professional. It helped me improve exercise programming, client safety, and coaching standards. The certification also helped me structure better workout plans, modify exercises for different fitness levels, and build greater trust with my clients.

Nancy G Ehle ★★★★★
✅ Verified

“ The Pilates and Health Coach certifications have been invaluable to my business. They strengthened my class and program design, especially around form, alignment, lifestyle, nutrition, and disease-risk management. One client even reduced insulin by half with doctor supervision and improved blood pressure through my coaching.

Jennifer Aucoin ★★★★★
✅ Verified

“ Since receiving my certification, I’ve helped a client improve eating habits, exercise regularly, manage stress, and lose 30 pounds. She also gained confidence to lead a group and speak publicly. The certification made me more marketable and expanded my nutrition knowledge.

Shawn Testa ★★★★★
✅ Verified

“ Becoming certified helped me receive a pay increase and strengthened my anatomy and physiology knowledge, which supports my nursing work. It also shows clients I am professional and serious about helping them. The certification was educational and improved my recognition and professionalism.

Christina Gonzalez ★★★★★
✅ Verified

“ My certification helped me refresh important knowledge and learn more about training clients on machines, not just body-resistance exercises. It also improved my understanding of nutrition and gave me greater confidence in handling new clients and different fitness situations.

Shauntel Peak-Jimenez ★★★★★
✅ Verified

“ As a nurse and Certified Life Coach, adding the Health Coach certification has helped me become more effective in empowering clients to set and achieve their health and wellness goals.

Trustpilot

Frequently Asked Questions

No. This certification is not an NBHWC-approved training program and is not NCCA-accredited. ExpertRating is ISO 9001:2015 certified and is a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (I.C.E.), a professional association for the credentialing community. If your goal is the NBC-HWC board credential or a specifically NCCA-accredited certification, you will need an NBHWC-approved program or the ACE Health Coach Certification respectively. See the Understanding Health Coach Credentials section above for a fuller explanation.

No. This course is designed for people new to health coaching, including those exploring it as a potential career before committing to a longer, more expensive board-certification pathway.

Most students complete the course in 2 to 4 weeks studying 1 to 2 hours per day.

You can retake the exam for $20, up to three attempts.

Yes. Both are covered as core coaching skills, alongside the three pillars of nutrition, fitness promotion, and emotional well-being.

You receive full access to the online courseware, a downloadable digital certificate and transcript upon passing, and the option to purchase a physical hard copy certificate.
ACCREDITATION

Accreditation and Quality Assurance

✓

ISO 9001:2015

ExpertRating is an internationally recognized provider of online certification and professional training programs. The organization is ISO 9001:2015 certified, demonstrating compliance with internationally accepted quality management standards.

★

Institute for Credentialing Excellence (I.C.E.)

As a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (I.C.E.), ExpertRating adheres to defined benchmarks for quality assurance, ethical practice, and continuous improvement.

Disclosure

ExpertRating's ISO 9001:2015 certification and I.C.E membership relate to the organization's quality management and educational standards practices. They are not equivalent to programmatic accreditation from a body such as the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). This certification is not an NBHWC-approved training program, does not meet NBHWC exam eligibility requirements on its own, and is not affiliated with NBHWC, NCCA, or ACE.

Start Your Health Coaching Journey Today

Join the growing number of health coaches helping clients build lasting healthy habits. Lifetime access, $99.99, one payment.


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