To be effective, physical activity must be regular and it is not always easy to integrate it into your daily life. So to change your behavior by adopting an active lifestyle, to determine which activity to practice to preserve or improve your health, why not use coaching? But how to find the right guide, how much does it cost? The answers with Cécilia Zublena, adapted physical activity coordinator.
- Essential for health, regular physical activity is insufficiently practiced in France.
- Support from an adapted physical activity professional facilitates the adoption of an active lifestyle.
- This support can be voluntary or prescribed by the doctor.
“Encourage people to adopt an active lifestyle” : this is the definition that Cécilia Zublena, adapted physical activity coordinator, gives of her mission. Suffice to say that the task is ambitious in a country where 95% of people are too sedentary with all the negative consequences on their health. A situation that aims to correct the status of “great national cause for 2024” granted to physical activity by the President of the Republic himself, relying on a potential “Olympic Games effect” which must be held in the year next in Paris.
But this physical activity to which everyone should devote half an hour a day to benefit from its effects on health is often a real personal challenge: how to choose it, how to organize yourself to integrate it into your daily life, what resources to devote to it and, above all, how to find the motivation to “get going”? Hence the interest for some in seeking support. “Coaching” as this service is commonly called.
Supporting people to improve their physical condition
So, the coach, useful or not? “All high-level athletes benefit from the support of a physical trainer to improve their performance. We support people to improve their physical condition and thus also improve their health, explains Cécilia Zublena, and as for great athletes, this requires taking into account mental and psychological components”.
Using physical activity professionals allows you to benefit from a complete approach. “It always begins with an initial assessment which allows us to take stock of a person’s state of health and above all to target their needs, their motivations… and the obstacles!”, specifies Cécilia Zublena.
Sports-health centers throughout the territory
But who to contact? Alongside independent professionals – always ensure the quality of their training, support in adapted physical activity requires a university diploma – lThe Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Solidarity and Health created the Sports-Health Houses program (MSS) in 2019. These structures will eventually be present throughout the territory: “The territorial network is not yet optimal, but the objective is to make these sports-health centers accessiblesuitable for everything and everywhere”underlines Cécilia Zublena.
Support from 6 months to throughout life
Another essential point, how does physical activity support work? “It is either a personal approach or a prescription given by a doctor and although there is still progress to be made on this point, more and more people are prescribing; but in all Most cases, it is a process initiated when a health problem occurs., notes the adapted physical activity coordinator. The duration of such support obviously varies greatly: “This must continue for at least 6 months, but it can last throughout life, health can evolve, motivations too! For some people, coaching is necessary in the long term, for others, this can be faster”, notes Cecila Zublena. As for the form of this support, it is done either face-to-face, in individual or group sessions, or remotely, by video or even by telephone which allows regular monitoring.
Possible support from mutual insurance companies
How much does it cost ? “It all depends on the project and the support method chosen”, replies Cécilia Zublena, mentioning a cost of a few tens of euros per session in the Maisons Sport-Santé. If there is no coverage provided by Health Insurance, aid may be granted by certain local authorities. And some mutual insurance companies provide coverage for this support, particularly for people who suffer from chronic illnesses and who are on long-term care.
