If You're Going to Talk Nutrition, Know Your Stuff | Recreation ...

According to Recreation Management?s 2011 State of the Industry Report, nearly a quarter (23.9 percent) of more than 2,000 respondents currently offer nutrition and diet counseling programs at their facilities. And with so many members and clients at these facilities wanting to get fit, it?s no wonder that these programs abound.

But even if you don?t have a formal program, you might have personal trainers or exercise class instructors who are asked about nutrition and food. A recent workshop at the American College of Sports Medicine?s 16^th annual Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition featured lectures designed to help your fitness experts answer common questions, with guidelines to help them offer reasonable, safe and smart advice on nutrition.

?Although trainers may not be registered dietitians or have formal training or education in nutrition, they are in the trenches,? said Kristine Clark, Ph.D., R.D., FACSM, assistant
professor of nutritional sciences and director of sports nutrition at Penn State University. (She chaired the six-hour workshop, titled ?Nutrition Concepts for the Fitness Professional and Athletic Trainer.?) ?They are the front lines and they are the people who can make a difference in this war on obesity and nutrition confusion. The more you know, the greater the opportunity to communicate how to eat correctly.?

During the workshop, Clark and others emphasized that fitness professionals should get comfortable with providing some nutrition information and conscientious guidance. Fitness professionals? advice might make all the difference, they claimed.

But before they can offer advice, they need to know their stuff.

?Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misinformation about nutrition,? said 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.?

Four key suggestions from the workshop 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.

To learn more about the Summit and other ACSM initiatives, visit www.acsm.org.

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