While diverse and often multifaceted, the field of personal training focuses primarily on helping individuals achieve their fitness goals. As such, exercise lies at the root of training sessions. However, nutrition plays an equally important role in fueling the body for optimal results. In this article, we explore the various ways a prudent nutrition plan not only helps clients achieve their goals but also sets them on a path to a healthier lifestyle. We will also discuss the scope of practice to which trainers must adhere to ensure they do not overstep when helping clients with nutritional decisions.
Many Titles, Similar Services
Whether known as a health coach, a nutrition coach, or a personal trainer who also has significant knowledge of fitness nutrition, these professionals take a holistic approach to their clients’ well-being. Whereas a personal trainer tends only to work with a client on his fitness goals, and a registered dietitian focuses solely on a client’s nutritional needs, a health coach takes into account the whole person. With so many elements of a client’s life having the potential to impact their overall health, such as diet, stress, physical activity, sleep patterns, and more, health coaching can blend all of the best elements together and offer clients a complete wellness package.
How Nutrition Fits into the Fitness Plan
With a nutrition coaching certification, fitness professionals can take their nutritional expertise to the next level. According to Brian Sutton, MS, MA, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, CNC, “Nutrition coaches work with the general population to facilitate the inclusion of healthy eating behaviors, and empower their clients to take responsibility for their own health. They are mentors and leaders who guide their clients toward a healthier lifestyle. To be a successful nutrition coach, individuals must possess knowledge of both nutritional science and behavior change strategies.”
Most personal trainers cultivated some basic knowledge of nutrition as they studied for their certification exams. As such, many of us already understand the building blocks of good nutrition as they relate to exercise goals. Whether or not trainers feel sufficiently equipped to dole out nutritional advice depends largely on their background, experience, and client relationship.
Fundamentals of Fitness Fuel
One of the primary functions of nutrition in personal training involves guiding clients in how to adequately fuel their bodies. Consuming a balanced diet that includes carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats (collectively referred to as macronutrients) optimizes performance during training sessions. Below, we list some of the more commonly recommended foods best suited to fueling an active body:
- Carbohydrates: Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, oats), fruits (bananas, apples, berries), and starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes, butternut squash).
- Proteins: Lean meats (chicken, turkey, certain cuts of beef, fish), eggs, dairy products (Greek yogurt and cottage cheese), legumes (beans and lentils), and plant-based protein sources (tofu and tempeh).
- Healthy Fats: Avocados, nuts/seeds, olive oil, nut butters, and fatty fish (herring, salmon, trout).
By including these nutrient-dense foods in appropriate quantities in their daily meal plans, clients can provide their bodies with the necessary energy to support their personal training efforts and optimize their performance.
In addition to macronutrients, vitamins and minerals play a crucial role in supporting the body’s efforts in personal training. Micronutrients — vitamins and minerals needed in smaller quantities than the aforementioned categories — contribute to energy production, bone health, and muscle function.
The Legal Side of Nutritional Advice
While personal trainers may have a client’s best interests at heart when wanting to offer nutritional suggestions, we must always keep in mind where to draw the legal line. The scope of practice includes actions, procedures, and processes that a professional may undertake while keeping within the terms of a particular license or credential; regulations often vary between states. Above all, we cannot cross over into nutritional advice that by law belongs in the realm of the medical professionals; suggesting nutritional therapy to treat disease, diagnosing and/or treating eating disorders, and prescribing specific meal plans do not align with a fitness professional’s scope of practice.
Below we list the most common services a health coach can and cannot perform, in accordance with most states’ laws ~
A certified health coach or personal trainer can:
- Calculate caloric needs using industry calorie calculators.
- Teach healthy portion sizes.
- Teach the proper way to read and interpret food labels.
- Dispel nutrition myths and fallacies.
- Teach how to navigate grocery stores.
- Discuss the pros and cons of various diets.
- Use coaching and communication techniques.
- Teach the health benefits of various food groups.
- Review food logs and provide general
guidance. - Perform body composition testing.
A certified health coach or personal trainer cannot:
- Provide exercise prescriptions.
- Promote or provide medication.
- Suggest drastic caloric restriction.
- Diagnose or treat an eating disorder.
- Create or prescribe specific meal plans.
- Conduct psychological counseling or therapy.
- Provide “nutritional therapy” to treat disease.
- Prescribe extreme practices (detoxes, colon cleanses).
- Go against the recommendations of a healthcare professional.
The majority of these services should come from either a physician or a registered dietitian.
Nutrition as Part of a Behavioral Shift
As personal trainers, we excel at helping clients make lifestyle changes that they can sustain without too much difficulty. With a combination of basic, prudent nutritional suggestions and a sound workout protocol, we can arm our clients with the skills necessary to make positive changes that can last throughout their lives. We can provide an educational support system.
Part of our job includes keeping in mind that, just like one workout does not fit every client’s needs, neither does every meal plan. The best program, the one that will work for a client, must meet the confines of his work/family/lifestyle.
We can try to provide answers to their questions; more importantly, we can ask clients the right open-ended questions ~
- Tell me about your grocery shopping habits.
- What do you typically consider a “serving” of protein at a meal?
- Do you have any food preferences/allergies/religious considerations around food?
- How much time do you have to prepare meals?
- What are your current goals regarding fitness/workouts?
This last question will dictate the best nutritional outlook for the client. Extremely low-calorie meal plans often fail to provide sufficient fuel that avid exercisers need to derive the most from their workouts. Similarly, if a new client reveals that he has medically prescribed caloric restrictions, the personal trainer can adapt the workout protocol to consist of less intense exercises. Whether a client aims to shed unwanted pounds or pack on lean muscle mass, prudent nutrition will serve him well.
Habits, Goals, and the Power to Change
In order to best serve clients’ health, wellness, and weight loss goals, trainers must look beyond exercise and even nutrition. Trainers who also practice nutrition coaching must fully realize the importance of focusing on an individual’s habits in general. For example, these professionals may focus on a client’s sleep habits, explaining that sufficient sleep helps promote more of the hormone that causes satiety and less of the hormone that induces hunger. Sleep habits can, with dedicated effort, change over time, leading to even better lifestyle results both in and out of the gym.
Consider how managing stress will often lead to decreased appetite, better sleep, and more energy. A nutrition coach can highlight these points, bringing them into play as part of the holistic, “whole body” personal training experience. Most individuals report that with better sleep, hormone consistency, and a smaller appetite, they find themselves armed with more willpower and better able to make prudent food choices.
In addition to struggling with fitness-forward nutrition, clients may also find it difficult to set realistic and attainable goals. Personal trainers often encounter eager clients who want to take on every goal all at once, striving to accomplish too much too soon. Often, after a few sessions, they begin to comprehend that sustainable habits and physical changes do not happen quickly. A nutrition coach can provide guidance and accountability, helping clients understand their current starting point and the healthiest, most expedient way to reach their goals.
Each Client Deserves a Unique Nutritional Approach
As we briefly discussed earlier, in order to provide effective nutrition guidance, personal trainers/nutrition coaches must take the time to assess their clients’ dietary habits, preferences and goals. Key components of assessing individual needs might include the following ~
- Conducting a comprehensive dietary analysis to understand current eating habits/patterns
- Taking into account dietary restrictions and/or allergies that may impact food choices
- Considering personal preferences, such as vegetarian, vegan, or kosher lifestyles, and working within those parameters
- Identifying specific goals, such as weight loss, muscle gain, and overall health, to meet the client on his terms
Once the trainer grasps a fuller picture of the client’s lifestyle and how nutrition may fit into that framework, he can begin to develop a basic working protocol that will align with the client’s fitness and nutritional needs. While certainly not as in-depth as the services provided by registered dietitians, personal trainers serving as health coaches can address meal suggestions, timing of nutrient intake, macronutrient parameters, etc. Likewise, they can excel at offering motivation, making the entire wellness process creative, goal-oriented, and fun.
Final Thoughts
Proper nutrition, a crucial component of successful personal training, will support overall health, fitness goals, and thereby help to maximize clients’ results. By fueling the body, promoting muscle building and recovery, managing weight, and customizing nutrition plans, personal trainers can help individuals achieve optimal fitness outcomes.
Typically speaking, nutrition coaches possess a strong working knowledge of nutritional guidelines and behavioral change principles. Clients may choose to inquire in advance whether the trainer feels confident and comfortable in the following areas ~
- How good nutrition can enhance sporting performance
- How a prudent, nutritious diet should meet most of an athlete’s vitamin and mineral needs, and provide enough protein to promote muscle growth and repair
The basic training diet should aim for the following ~
- provide adequate nutrients and food energy to meet the demands of training
- enhance adaptation and recovery between training sessions
- include a wide variety of foods to ensure long-term nutrition habits and behaviors
- enable the athlete to achieve optimal body weight and desired body fat levels for his chosen athletic performance
- provide adequate fluids to ensure maximum hydration before, during, and after exercise
- promote the short and long-term health of the clients
We can educate clients by making sure they acknowledge that, while some personal trainers may incorporate basic nutritional guidance into their services, not all personal trainers are qualified to provide in-depth counseling or medical nutrition therapy. Grasping this distinction helps avoid any potential assumptions on the part of both parties regarding the legal scope of practice.
Personal trainers can certainly encourage clients to adopt healthy eating habits, emphasizing the importance of consuming whole foods, incorporating good fats, and prioritizing protein sources. Moreover, they may educate clients on nutrition basics, including the benefits of proper nutrition for overall health and wellness.
References
https://www.issaonline.com/blog/post/what-nutrition-advice-can-a-personal-trainer-give
https://nutriadmin.com/blog/meal-plan-coach/
https://www.theana.org/nutrition-regulations-by-professions/
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/can-personal-trainers-give-nutrition-advice
https://blog.nasm.org/nutrition/offering-nutrition-advice
https://www.crunch.com/thehub/do-personal-trainers-offer-advice-on-diets-nutrition/
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/sporting-performance-and-food
https://blog.nasm.org/what-is-a-nutrition-coach
