Fitness Instructors Should Stick to Their Field of Expertise

"Given that our results demonstrate limited nutrition knowledge among exercise professionals, the accuracy and effectiveness of the nutrition advice provided must be questioned, particularly with regards to specific medical nutrition advice."
Australian research, University of Sydney

"Gym members like the idea of one-stop shopping. But I don't advise people on how to squat, and trainers shouldn't give advice on how to eat."
"A lot of damage can be done when it comes to offering advice about food. People start to believe that if they follow a particular diet, they will be strong, healthy, thin and accepted. Yet no studies have shown that diets are successful in the long run."
"Of course clients are going to want to talk about food, but that doesn't mean trainers need to have all the answers. Instead, they should let their clients know that their role is to help them get fit and strong."
"Fitness trainers should be a source of body positivity. They should stay away from diet talk and teach people how to move through life with strength and in good health."
Lisa Rutledge, dietitian, McGill University Comprehensive Health Improvement Program

Discussion: The primary finding of this investigation is that the majority of REPs [registered exercise professionals] who completed the questionnaire provide individual dietary advice to their clients, including advice relating to underlying medical conditions (i.e. medical nutrition therapy), suggesting this is common practice within the industry. This clearly breaches REPs scope of professional practice, which limits advice to the provision of general non-medical nutrition information in accordance with nationally endorsed evidence-based guidelines that is not individually tailored. This is concerning given exercise professionals training curriculum has limited nutrition education and the majority undertake no (40 per cent) or limited (25 per cent) post-fitness course nutrition-specific professional development opportunities. This reinforces a need for the industry to enforce clearly defined professional boundaries and facilitate a collaborative multi-discipline approach to client servicing in order to deliver a holistic approach to lifestyle modification and favourable fitness and health outcomes.
Research paper: Do the nutrition qualifications and professional practices of Registered Exercise Professionals align?
Research team: Mark R McKean, Gary Slater, Florin Oprescu, Brendan J Burkett
Published: International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism

According to dietitian/nutritionist Lisa Rutledge a diet culture exemplifies the culture of the gym which fits right in with what most people readily relate to, equating exercise with weight loss. The diets that promise larger muscles and improved athletic performance seem a natural fit to those who subscribe to exercise+diet. Which, in turn, leads trainers to believe they are competent to provide diet advice, while dispensing exercise best practices at the same time. This, despite a lack of training and knowledge in counseling clients on accurate dietary goals.

Australian researchers out of University of Sydney set out to recruit 161 fitness trainers, 36 dietitians and 357 people representing the general community of those devoted to enhancing their health by exercise and diet. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate nutritional expertise which was divided in four sections comprised of dietary guidelines, food content of nutrients, healthy food choices and awareness of diet/disease relationships, with a goal to determine where trainers ranked compared to dietitians and the general public.

Australian Fitness Academy

The trainers scored significantly lower than dietitians in three of four sections; the sole area in which trainers and dietitians both registered like numbers of correct answers was healthy food choices. The standout area where trainers' awareness was higher compared to community respondents was their understanding of nutrient content. Having an undergraduate degree in exercise science failed to aid trainers score higher on the questionnaire than peers lacking a related degree.

The same research group in Australia concluded that 51 percent of 286 fitness professionals polled in an earlier study stated they provided nutritional advice with respect to heart disease; 48 percent counseled about nutrition, diabetes and blood sugar; 44 percent discussed supplements; 39 percent talked with clients about nutrition deficiencies; and 35 percent gave advice relating to food allergies and food intolerance. Leading dietitian Rutledge to point out that such guidance has the potential to guide individuals toward disordered eating.

The Australian researchers came to the conclusion that a recommendation that fitness professionals remain wedded to their scope of expertise and not reach out into a related, but entirely inappropriate inclusion of another type of expertise they are clearly not equipped to handle must be urgently recommended. Should gyms wish to continue add-on benefits of informing clients on nutrition, the best possible way is to refer clients to professional nutritionists, or to commit to having a dietitian on staff for consultations.