Not only are personal trainers and instructors looked to for their fitness expertise, but because of their relationships with clients and students, they are being thrust into the role of food expert as well.
March 27, 2012
GETTING PERSONAL TRAINERS UP TO SPEED ON PROPER NUTRITION ADVICE
Fitness professionals are on the front lines of the war on nutrition confusion and obesity
LAS VEGAS – Not only are personal trainers and instructors looked to for their fitness expertise, but because of their relationships with clients and students, they are being thrust into the role of food expert as well. A pre-conference workshop ahead of the American College of Sports Medicine’s16th annual Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition featured four key lectures designed to help fitness experts speak to common questions and guidelines, so they can offer a reasonable, safe and smart approach to nutrition.
Kristine Clark, Ph.D., R.D., FACSM, assistant professor of nutritional sciences and director of sports nutrition at Penn State University chaired the six-hour workshop, “Nutrition Concepts for the Fitness Professional and Athletic Trainer.”
“Although trainers may not be registered dietitians or have formal training or education in nutrition, they are in the trenches. They are the front lines and they are the people who can make a difference in this war on obesity and nutrition confusion,” said Dr. Clark. “The more you know, the greater the opportunity to communicate how to eat correctly.”
Clark and her colleagues stressed the need for fitness professionals to feel comfortable providing a certain amount of nutrition information and conscientious guidance. The information they can share could be the advice that really makes a difference in a client’s health and wellness.
“Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misinformation about nutrition,” added Liz Applegate, Ph.D., FACSM, director of sports nutrition at University of California Davis. “It’s a very personal topic and you’re dealing with all kinds of beliefs and myths. Our goal is to make trainers and instructors more confident in answering questions from their clients and students.”
The workshop sessions featured strategies for creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and discussed the risks associated in not doing so. Four key suggestions from the pre-conference included:
- Implementation of MyPlate guidelines to address the need for balanced food groups, proper portion size and identifying appropriate levels of macronutrients and food sources
- The ability to achieve optimal health and performance through nutrient density, in addition to pinpointing key nutrients and specific foods to meet various needs when it comes to performance and dietary change
- The importance of good nutrition and adequate fueling before, during and after exercise
- Contemporary approaches to diet and exercise for optimizing health and quality of life with aging
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ACSM’s Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition runs through March 30 in Las Vegas. For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Dan Henkel at dhenkel@acsm.org or 702-946-2128.
The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 45,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine. NOTE: Information presented at the Summit represents the professional opinions of the presenters and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the American College of Sports Medicine.