Blogging Heros 
If you already have a personal trainer certification, you can increase your influence by adding a certification for sports nutrition. Today, it is difficult to get hired at a gym or workout facility without the proper fitness endorsement.
As a personal trainer, you can provide added value to your clients by assisting them with their nutritional needs and goals. Whether you work with athletes, people who are dedicated to exercise, or clients wishing to get in shape, this endorsement is an impressive addition on a personal trainer (PT) resume.
So, how can you make this added certificate work for you?
Offering Services as a Personal Trainer Nutritionist
To begin, you can offer services as a personal trainer nutritionist. Obtaining a sports nutrition certification will give you the leverage you need to succeed in your fitness career. In most states, personal trainers can give nutritional recommendations to clients who are healthy and enjoy exercise.
It is also legally acceptable to share information from public organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or American Heart Association (AHA).
Making Recommendations to Your Clients
When you have a sports nutrition designation, you can also offer suggestions that relate to athletic or exercise performance. For example, you can use your knowledge of sports and performance nutrition to provide answers with respect to food consumption, hydration, and post-exercise recovery.
A sports nutrition endorsement will help you educate a client about calorie management and better food choices as well. For instance, the training can help you teach clients to stick to water instead of soft drinks or eat whole grains versus refined and processed foods.
Also, a knowledge of performance nutrition helps you teach clients what to eat before they exercise and why they shouldn’t skip meals. In addition, you can provide information on minerals, vitamins and products that can boost weight lifting and aerobic performance.
You can also offer nutritional options for meals and snacks. While giving general recommendations is alright, offering nutritional advice for medical issues is not allowed. This type of advice falls under the domain of a physician or dietician. You should also direct clients who have an eating disorder to a medical professional.
Again, it is okay to offer nutritional counseling for active and healthy clients. However, if someone has a medical condition, you should refer them to a doctor. Your nutritional expertise should be confined to giving dietary advice that is directly related to personal training or sports activities. Check your state’s laws to make sure what is acceptable.
In some cases, you may work with clients who already have sought help from a registered dietician. If that is the case, you can use your knowledge of nutrition to coordinate personal training activities with the weight loss goals and the guidelines established by the client’s dietician.
Therefore, as a sports nutritionist and personal trainer, you cannot give prescriptive advice about nutrition but you can outline a healthy eating plan for your PT clients. This plan can be used to support an individual’s fitness goals with food and hydration recommendations that improve performance. The plan can also be used to manage and maintain weight and increase energy.
Sharing Your Knowledge of Fats, Proteins and Carbs
When you have a certification in nutrition, you can tell your clients how to fuel their bodies for optimum performance and how to use fats, proteins, and carbs to the best advantage.
How Carbs Support Exercise
Carbs provide the energy used by the muscles, so the nutrients are needed to prevent muscle fatigue.
The Proper Use of Fats for Supporting Dietary Needs and Health
Fats can either be good or bad. Good fats, such as those found in fish, provide the energy needed to prolong exercise or to build cell walls for better performance and recovery.
The Correct Use of Protein
Protein is used for developing muscles and is recommended for anyone involved in resistance training.
As you can see, personal training and sports and performance nutrition work hand in hand. That is why adding a sports nutrition certificate bodes well for PT professionals. When reviewing your options in the field, it makes the most sense to combine personal training with nutritional counseling.
Study for Your Online Certificate
To make sure you get the full benefit of your study in sports and performance nutrition, plan on spending at least two hours per week studying the material. Make a commitment to getting certified, as it will make your job more interesting and build trust with your clients.
