Personal Fitness Professional - September 2008 - (Page 26)

Coaching your client’s Increasing your professional knowledge about weight loss and nutrition By Scott Josephson When it comes to nutrition, some ﬁtness professionals are afraid to utter a word, whereas others perform detailed analysis, oﬀer individualized advice and devise complete meal plans. Confusion can exist among ﬁtness professionals on where to draw the line when it comes to assisting their clients with nutrition-related questions and goals. Even with the best intentions, the lack of clear information can lead to unwanted outcomes for you, your clients and your facility. It’s safe and reasonable to oﬀer speciﬁc guidelines to support the nutrition-related needs of your clients while protecting both practitioners and organizations. The American Dietetic Association asserts, “All weight-management programs should contain a lifelong commitment to healthful lifestyle behaviors emphasizing sustainable and enjoyable eating practices and daily physical activity.” A strong relationship has always existed between nutrition, ﬁtness, wellness and disease prevention. Certiﬁed ﬁtness professionals should possess knowledge in these areas as well as assessment, interpretation and calculation. Know that all nutrition and weight management information should begin with the words “knowledge of or ability to describe.” In a general sense, any nutritional information or advice that a ﬁtness professional provides to a client must be appropriate for that particular individual. diet Work Together Ideally, ﬁtness professionals work together as part of a medical, athletic and wellness team. In reality, ﬁtness professionals work independently of dietetic professionals. Sometimes this lack of interaction can lead to a lack of communication. After all, it’s not until individuals work closely with other professionals that they understand their professional capacity and how it may diﬀer from their own. A synergistic correlation with a professional who specializes in their corresponding area is highly valuable. This step allows a crossover of information to sports nutrition, cardiovascular health, disease prevention and special populations, such as pediatrics or geriatrics. Such a relationship benefits both parties. For example, a fitness professional can refer clients about services for medical nutrition information, and the practitioner can serve as an informational resource. Furthermore, the practitioner can become a valuable referral source for the fitness professional and an aid in networking with other medical and allied health professionals. Since so many participants need valid health and ﬁtness information, it’s wise to link with someone who could become an integral part of the ﬁtness team and provide individualized nutrition advice to participants. This relationship boosts the credibility of a ﬁtness professional with their clients and their organization. Without the crossover, it’s probably a good starting point to provide general information pertaining to principles of good nutrition, food preparation in the daily diet, the amount of essential nutrients needed by the body and their various eﬀects based on deﬁciencies or excessive amounts. Things to Consider: 1) Understand the role of carbohydrates, fats and proteins as fuels for aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. 2) Describe and deﬁne obesity, overweight, percent fat, lean body mass, anorexia, bulimia and body fat distribution. 3) Have knowledge of the food pyramid and determining nutrient requirements. 4) Understand health conditions addressed by disease prevention or uncomplicated instances of chronic diseases of the general population, such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes and other metabolic diseases. 5) Have knowledge of women’s calcium and iron needs and the number of kilocalories equivalent to losing one pound of body fat.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - September 2008

Personal Fitness Professional - September 2008 Contents Letter from the Editor, Writers Adding Pilates and Yoga to Your Clients' Workouts Combating Youth Obesity Prescription for Success NEW! The Balancing Act Technical Necessities Product Profiles Current Controversies Mark Your Calendar Coaching Your Client's Diet Life Coaching 101 Exercise Spotlight Product Profiles New on the Market [Spotlight] Gregg Miehle

Personal Fitness Professional - September 2008

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