Why I chose the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN)
- Wellness Effect
- Mar 12, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 17, 2024
Is the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) a good qualification?
I'm currently studying the Health Coach Training Programme with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN). I started the 12 month programme in July 2023 so I'll be fully qualified by July 2024. I'm over halfway through and able to take on clients, so I wanted to explain more about why I chose IIN to do my health coaching qualification with. I also have a great discount for all IIN's courses which I've included at the end of this blog!
What is Health Coaching?
Health Coaches are people who will partner with clients to help them improve their overall health and wellness through diet and lifestyle changes. They help clients to become more connected to themselves to understand the goals they want to achieve, what barriers are in their way and how to put plans in place to reach optimal health. They believe in bio individuality and multi dimensional health so will approach each client differently, flexing to suit the client.
They are not Nutritionists and they don't prescribe supplements or protocols, however they can help clients understand nutritional theories and help them find an approach that suits them as an individual. People know what they should and shouldn't eat but struggle to do it. This is where Health Coaches come in. They help clients enact positive, sustainable change that will provide long-term results.
Why IIN?
When I decided I wanted to become a Health Coach, I spent a lot of time looking into various qualifications to study. Some people will declare themselves as a Health Coach without any formal training and that doesn't sit right with me. I felt I needed the formal training so I could legitimately help clients. Now, I'm based in the UK and that was a huge consideration for me. IIN is US based, however they have students all over the world. I was between IIN and a UK based Health Coach programme. Ultimately I felt that IIN was more established, the Health Coaching sector in the US is much bigger than the UK, and the curriculum really appealed to me. They also have some amazing guest lecturers, some of whom I had already been following, which added credibility for me. They include:
Gabby Bernstein
Melissa Wood-Tepperberg
Dr Mark Hyman
Dr Will Cole
Dr Daniel Amen
Chrissy King
Dan Buettner
Deepak Chopra
I also loved the flexibility that came with it! I work full time and I am very dedicated to maintaining work-life balance so I needed to consider how many hours I'd be spending studying in the evenings. I've even continued the programme while on holiday (see pic). IIN have the option to a 6 or 12 month programme, with weekly modules which you can complete in your own time. These cover over 100 nutritional theories, mind-body connection, multi-dimensional health, coaching and business skills.
My initial goals were to further increase the learning I was already doing to improve my own health, and help other people improve their own well-being sustainably. I think the Health Coach Training Programme is perfect for this.
More info about the Health Coach Training Programme
The course is broken into four sections, with a test after each and every section builds on the next.
The first modules, 1-9, will teach you the essential basics of nutrition and health coaching. This includes lessons on nutrient density, stress, sleep, rest, mind-body connection, emotional well-being and essential coaching skills. I will be honest, I got slightly concerned during this portion as I was worried the entire course would be as basic as this! However, it's an excellent introduction to the topics and they go into a lot more depth in the following sections.
The second section, modules 11-19, explores health from a functional medicine perspective, looking at how to get to the root of imbalances. It covers the gut microbiome, hormonal health, nutritional psychiatry and whole body health. It goes into more detail about coaching and also introduces entrepreneurial basics.
The third section, modules 21-29, looks at optimising health and well-being, with more detail on dietary theories and health approaches, including biohacking, shadow work, intergenerational healing, trauma and intuition. It explores multi-dimensional coaching including somatics and more in-depth business practices to support your coaching business.
Finally, modules 31-36 cover topics like food access and bias, energy healing and connecting to purpose. You learn about coaching as a lifestyle, rather than a profession and how to expand your offerings.
As well as the modules, you get to practice coaching sessions with at least six clients and attend four live coaching sessions with an IIN resident coaching expert.
How much is it?
The Health Coach Training Programme costs differ depending on if you pay upfront or choose a payment plan. As an ambassador of the course, I am able to offer you 25% off via this link or you can use HELENKELLYFROSTXIIN for 25% off all of IIN's courses (excludes Coaching Intensive Practicum).
What's next?
I am really enjoying doing the Health Coach Training Programme, it's such an informative course, I'm so interested in all the topics and it doesn't feel like a chore for me to complete. I've been applying my learning to my daily life and my health has definitely improved, particularly my spiritual and emotional health. I've not finished yet and I'm already doing live talks, podcasts and coaching sessions, which has been so exciting!
You could complete this course and become a Health Coach with this training alone. I'm personally considering doing another course which would teach me to read lab work to identify the root cause of health issues, even if just to further support my and my families health!
Great discount!