{"id":23551,"date":"2019-01-21T08:04:18","date_gmt":"2019-01-21T16:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/?p=23551"},"modified":"2019-01-25T08:18:55","modified_gmt":"2019-01-25T16:18:55","slug":"trainers-and-nutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/all-mfn\/trainers-and-nutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"Trainers and Nutrition"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was 1995. \u00a0I sat on a panel at the Club Industry conference in Chicago and made a fully convicted argument that \u201cpersonal trainers MUST talk about nutrition.\u201d I had been told by assorted experts, club owners, and educators that ‘it\u2019s illegal for trainers to talk about nutrition.’ Absurd.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In referencing that event from 20 years ago, I\u2019m realizing how far we\u2019ve come in the field of personal training. I\u2019m also reminded of the Diet Ginger Ale Lady.<\/p>\n

I was in the checkout line in Publix supermarket and the woman in front of me had only 3 items. She had 3 cases of diet ginger ale. Period. The cashier eyeballed her purchase and quipped, \u201cyou must like diet ginger ale.\u201d The response was surprising.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t like it at all, but it\u2019s a great diet!\u201d<\/p>\n

Now the visibly overweight cashier\u2019s ears perked up, \u201cDiet? How does it work?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the ginger gives you all the nutrients you need and the carbonation makes you feel full, so for two days you only have diet ginger ale. On the third day you have all the soup and salad you want. You repeat the 2-day 3-day regimen until you\u2019ve lost the weight.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was sure somebody was going to show up. Maybe the FBI. At the very least, the local police. After all, if it\u2019s \u201cillegal\u201d for personal trainers to talk about nutrition, this woman had to be committing extreme violation!<\/p>\n

No cops came. No SWAT Team or sting operation. The diet ginger ale lady left with her purchase and went on her way.<\/p>\n

I share this to make a point. The advice people are receiving related to nutrition runs from relatively sane to outwardly dangerous. If we are going to guide our clients toward health, we have an obligation to help them make better choices.<\/p>\n

I understand why some opted to believe that nutritional advice from trainers violated the law. Personal trainers without nutritional credential should NOT be prescribing diets, nor should they be recommending supplements. There are far too many risks, and in that, there have been lawsuits and judgments.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not, however, go to a full pendulum swing and prevent trainers from speaking truth.<\/p>\n

I said earlier we\u2019ve come a long way, and we have, and many trainers have become educated in nutritional practices, have aligned with software programs or continuing education courses, and the stigma is lessened significantly.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean I believe the entire field of personal trainers should be spewing the nutritional beliefs they most attach to.<\/p>\n

While many trainers have become responsibly educated, others haven\u2019t and that presents a challenge.<\/p>\n

My anecdotal experience has shown me that many personal trainers with limited education in clinical nutrition, marry themselves to one of two approaches and those approaches become a blanket touching each and every client.<\/p>\n

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  1. They adhere to the old school teachings of \u201ccalories in vs. calories out\u201d and reference mathematical formulas to estimate \u201cideal\u201d caloric intake.<\/li>\n
  2. They profess that a bodybuilding type plan, generous in protein, and ample in both meals and energy substrates, is the way to go, failing to recognize the uniqueness of each client.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Many today scream Paleo, others yell Keto, and there\u2019s very little unity.<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s my suggestion. While science will reveal new subtleties in food intake for specific groups, demographics, and performances, and food will continue to change as genetic modification, commercial livestock rearing, and food preservation techniques will challenge nature, the basics of \u201cThe Macro\u201d won\u2019t change.<\/p>\n