Personal Fitness Professional - November/December 2008 - (Page 9)

Physicians are medical experts who sometimes dabble in the diet arena. Psychologists are behavior experts who sometimes give nutrition advice. Celebrities act like experts in a lot of areas, and they too often provide nutrition advice. But qualiﬁed personal trainers often feel like their hands are tied when it comes to giving nutrition advice because it is “outside their scope of practice.” Nutrition happens to be one of those ﬁelds that everyone knows or thinks they know something about. If you have a friend on a low-carb diet who has lost weight, that friend is the expert; if a store clerk in a supplement store is wearing a lab coat, they become the expert. However, while personal trainers may be looked up to as the expert for exercise training, they often do not broach the subject of nutrition — the most important component of physical change — unless it is with a 10-foot pole. Should Trainers Provide Nutrition Information? Qualiﬁed personal trainers possess a fundamental knowledge of the human body, physiology and anatomy. Many also understand the interactions between nutrition and physical performance. The fact of the matter is that nutrition and training are like the two wheels of a bicycle; you cannot ultimately be successful if only one wheel is spinning. Fortunately, it is within the scope of practice for personal trainers who possess fundamental nutrition knowledge to address questions and concerns their clients may have. There are programs available to provide that continuing education and background about nutrition. These don’t make you a registered dietitian, but they give a general overview of the foundations necessary to help your clients. Who should the public rely on for advice? Should they turn to the local bookstore with thousands of books with conﬂicting opinions on nutrition or maybe the attractive celebrity who swears by a particular lifestyle? Or should they turn to you, their qualiﬁed personal trainer? Maybe they consider hiring a registered dietitian, who out of all those listed, has the most educational background in nutrition but not necessarily in sports nutrition. Marjorie Geiser, RD, NSCA-CPT, of Meg Fitness, agrees, “Just because a person is a registered dietitian does not mean they are automatically qualiﬁed to provide sports nutrition information. With the proper education, trainers could very competently provide basic information on sports nutrition to their clients.” Most of our clients are in need of some clarity related to eating to support their new active lifestyle. They’re integrating exercise as a means to lead a healthier lifestyle. Isn’t the combination of exercise and nutrition essentially what sports nutrition is all about? 5 Nutrition Dos Here are ﬁve things that are 100% in line with the current nutritional beliefs of the ADA and mainstream nutrition academia: 1. Discuss how to read food labels with your clients. 2. Suggest switching to whole grains and adding more fruits and vegetables to their diet. 3. Reduce the intake of saturated fats and trans-fats, and replace them with healthier fats, such as omega-3 fats from nuts, ﬁsh and ﬂax. 4. Talk about including leaner proteins, such as chicken and turkey breasts and fish. 5. Discuss the importance of hydration and the unparalleled benefits of water. Dispensing Nutrition Information Since the law allows trainers to “discuss” nutrition, but their expertise may not be suﬃcient to dispense sound advice, we need an established protocol for trainers ﬁnding comfort in reaching out to complementary experts. Learning about Sports Nutrition Suppose, as a trainer, you want to go the next step, to become an expert in the area of sports nutrition? Does a weekend seminar make one an expert? Dr. Jose Antonio, CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, suggests, “Sports nutrition is a multi-disciplinary ﬁeld that requires both nutrition and exercise physiology training. At minimum, a bachelor’s degree in one of the major biological sciences is needed. Second, experience (both personal [you should partake in exercise itself ] and with ➤ NOV-DEC2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM 9 http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - November/December 2008

Personal Fitness Professional - November/December 2008 Contents Letter from the Editor, Writers Your Scope of Practice Combating Youth Obesity Current Controversies The Balancing Act Product Profile Building a Base of Special Populations The Right State of Mind Mark Your Calendar The Equipment Dilemma Too Much To Do, Too Little Time Exercise Spotlight Holiday Gift Guide New on the Market Alyte Piedra

Personal Fitness Professional - November/December 2008

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