NEWS RELEASE

June 3, 2005
For immediate release

ACSM RECOGNIZES INDUSTRY-FIRST WELLCOACHES CERTIFICATION
Partnership sets gold standard for personal coaching

NASHVILLE, TENN. – Personal coaching, long used by executives and elite athletes to boost performance, now has moved into the realm of health, fitness and wellness. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) today announced the expansion of its partnership with Wellcoaches Corporation to certify ACSM-certified fitness professionals, registered dietitians, nurses, physical therapists, physicians, and other healthcare practitioners who demonstrate the highest standard of professionalism and skills as health, fitness, and wellness coaches.

“ACSM’s endorsement of Wellcoaches certification of coaches means that individuals and organizations will have confidence in those they rely on to guide their efforts toward lifelong wellness,” said ACSM President William O. Roberts, M.D., FACSM. “In a society where poor nutrition, inadequate weight and stress management, and lack of physical activity take an enormous toll, skilled coaches can help people make lasting lifestyle change.”

Margaret Moore, CEO of Massachusetts-based Wellcoaches Corporation, said, “ACSM’s certification program represents the ‘gold standard’ for health and fitness professionals. ACSM-certified professionals, along with dietitians, nurses, health educators, and physicians, are now pursuing certification as wellness coaches to work with patients and clients seeking to make lasting health and wellness changes.”

The new certification covers three specialties:

• Certified Wellness Coaches (health, nutrition, and/or fitness experts) to coach all areas of wellness
• Certified Health Coaches (healthcare practitioners such as nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants) to coach on medical/disease management
• Certified Fitness Coaches (personal trainers) to coach on all aspects of physical fitness

The Wellcoaches certification builds on an innovative coach training program that integrates evidence-based behavioral psychology with the International Coach Federation’s core coaching competencies, and uses a Web-based coaching platform to support standardization and scalability of the coaching process. Since the program’s launch in September 2002, Wellcoaches has trained 525 wellness coaches.

The program also:

• Enables corporations and health plans to offer high-quality wellness coaching to employees and members
• Allows health clubs and hospital wellness centers to offer new services to their clients and members
• Enables physicians to refer patients to wellness coaches in support of lasting lifestyle change
• Expands career opportunities and provides continuing education to ACSM-certified professionals such as Certified Personal TrainersTM, Certified Health/Fitness Instructors®, Certified Exercise Specialists® and Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologists®
  

About Wellcoaches

Wellcoaches Corporation (www.wellcoaches.com) is a leader in coaching health, fitness and wellness. The company was the first to deliver standardized, high-volume coach training and certification, as well as coaching services supported by the web, to help people make lasting changes to health and wellness on a large scale.

Wellcoaches coaching integrates principles of behavioral psychology, counseling, and life/corporate coaching skills with the expertise of health and fitness professionals including personal trainers, dietitians, cardiac rehabilitation specialists, nurses, health educators, physical therapists and physicians. Wellness coaches are qualified to coach on fitness, nutrition, weight management, stress management, health, life issues that affect wellness, and the mindset to sustain wellness.

Wellcoaches provides the services of certified wellness coaches (licensed Wellcoaches under the Wellcoaches business license) to consumers, employers, health-clubs and hospitals, physicians and health plans (for referral). Coaching sessions are conducted by telephone or in person, weekly or as needed. Wellcoaches also conducts research studies on wellness coaching outcomes.

About ACSM

Founded in 1954, the American College of Sports Medicine (www.acsm.org) is the world’s largest organization for sports medicine and exercise science. More than 20,000 international, national, and regional members in 80 countries are dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific research, education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science. ACSM members are noted authorities in many medical, scientific and educational specialties, including obesity and exercise for clinical populations, serving as expert resources for policy makers and the media.

Through ACSM, health and fitness professionals representing a wide variety of disciplines work to improve the quality of life for people around the world through research, education and advocacy. Since 1975, ACSM has certified more than 25,000 Certified Personal TrainersTM, Certified Health/Fitness Instructors®, Certified Exercise Specialists® and Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologists®.

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NOTE: The conclusions outlined in this news release are those of the researchers only, and should not be construed as an official statement of the American College of Sports Medicine.