What’s your training personality? If you’re a certified personal trainer (CPT) or work with a team of CPTs you may recognize how experience, credentials, and exercise beliefs can all influence training styles. In the September/October 2019 issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal® Patrick Freeman describes the following six different training styles.

Do you recognize any of these styles in your or your team’s sessions lately?

 

Working with clients challenges you to constantly be thinking outside the box. For instance, what happens when a client gets injured? What about a client who stops progressing? You’ve always got to be ready to change up your programming with the clients’ goals and needs in mind. Additionally, working with many clients may also leave you short of time to program their workouts. In such instances, do you find yourself falling into another one of the six training styles listed.

It’s important to be sensitive to how you or your team is perceived by clients, club members, staff, and management. Negative perceptions may cost your club additional members, training revenue, or create negative word of mouth marketing. Keep your training style in an ideal state by focusing on these four key areas when working with clients.

1. Client Goals: What’s your approach to creating a framework that fits your clients?
2. Safety: How often do you take a safety inventory of your sessions?
3. Training IQ: Are you training at or above your level?
4. Client Retention/Satisfaction: Are you building trusting trainer-client relationships?

Learn more about your training personality and how to drive a coaching/consultative mindset with your team by reading Patrick Freeman’s Business Edge column “Your Training Personality — What’s Behind the Clipboard?" in the September/October 2019 issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal®.

Become an Alliance Member or Student Member to access the full ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal® library 

Article based on: Freeman, P. Your training personality — what’s behind the clipboard? ACSMs Health Fit J. 2019; 23 (5):55-6

Author:

Vanessa M. Kercher, Ph.D., SSC, M.Ed., BESS, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Kinesiology Department for the School of Public Health at Indiana University. Dr. Kercher's research passion focuses on helping individuals optimize their physical activity experiences to promote sustainable, positive health behaviors. She serves as the digital editor of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal®.

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ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal®: September - October 2019 CEC Course #3: Effective Strategies to Increase Physical Activity in the Working Years

Available ACSM CECs: 2.0

Key Message: Incorporating shorter bouts into the work day and into “down time” at home, and finding enjoyable exercise options that include both traditional and non-traditional modes are all ways to help your clients enjoy better health and fitness.

Description:

This course includes an online ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal® article and a corresponding online quiz.

4 Learning Objectives for Effective Strategies to Increase Physical Activity in the Working Years:

• Incorporate physical activity breaks into sitting time at work and at home, and reinforce the habit by setting a timer as a reminder to get up and move at least once every hour.
• For individuals with limited time to exercise, but who are willing to exercise intensely, high intensity interval training (HIIT) can be a highly effective way to improve cardiorespiratory fitness.
• Incorporating nontraditional modalities, such as yoga, active commuting, age-group sports, and dance, is a viable way to increase physical activity levels.
• Take your client’s or patient’s goals and activity preferences into consideration when making recommendations or designing an activity plan, and incorporate creative solutions to reduce their sedentary time throughout each day.

Read the free article

Purchase the course and earn CECs

Bundle quizzes and save 50%

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Your Guide to Fixing Client Burnout

Professional liability insurance protects you from incidents that arise as a result of your professional training services. If you are providing any form of health and safety instruction or training, you should have your own professional liability insurance policy to protect yourself from real or alleged malpractice.

Even if you receive professional liability coverage through an employer, you may be surprised to find out what is not covered. And the odds are you will not be insured by your employer for any independent training or instruction you perform outside the scope of your official position.

ACSM, together with our insurance partner Forrest T. Jones, offers our certified fitness professionals an affordable, flexible Professional and General Liability insurance program that will provide comprehensive coverage for professionals nationwide.

Liability Insurance Program Highlights

• Choice of liability limits up to a maximum $2 million per claim / $4 million aggregate per year.
• Claims-made policy form covers acts or omissions that occurred since the policy's inception and resulted in a claim during the policy's effective period, provided there have been no gaps in coverage.
• Coverage enhancements include: limited defense for sexual assault allegations; bodily injury and property damage due to performance of your professional duties.

Learn more about this offer from our partner Forrest T. Jones

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Despite the known benefits of physical activity to health and physical function in aging, the proportion of older adults meeting recommended physical activity guidelines remains low (27%). Since the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans were published, considerable evidence has emerged regarding the relative benefits of various modes or combinations of physical activity, such as progressive resistance training, multicomponent exercise, dual-task training, tai chi, yoga, and dance, for fall-related injury prevention and for specific physical function outcomes (e.g., strength, gait speed, balance, activities of daily living [ADL] function). The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee (PAGAC) Scientific Report summarized this body of new evidence in order to inform the new 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2^nd edition. These findings were further summarized in the June issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

The 2018 PAGAC Scientific Report provides strong evidence that physical activity reduces the risk of fall-related injuries in older people by 32-40%, and this includes severe falls requiring medical care or hospitalization. There is also strong evidence that physical activity improves physical function and reduces the risk of age-related loss of physical function in a dose-response manner among the general aging population and improves physical function in older people with frailty and with Parkinson’s disease. Moderate evidence indicates that for older adults who sustained a hip fracture or stroke, extended exercise programs and mobility-oriented physical activity improves physical function.

The term “multicomponent” activity refers to physical activity interventions that include more than one type (or mode) of physical activity, with common types being aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and balance training. Perhaps the most convincing evidence from the 2018 PAGAC Report relates to the greater benefits of multicomponent (relative to single-component) exercise to the prevention of fall-related injuries and to improvements in physical function in older age. Moreover, multicomponent and multi-task activities (i.e., those that combine a physical task with a cognitive task) that are incorporated into the daily routine may be a promising alternative to structured, single-task exercise programs for older adults.

One in four individuals ages 65 years and older falls in the United States every year, and falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults. Thus, the effectiveness of physical activity programs that emphasize combinations of moderate-intensity balance, strength, aerobic, gait, and physical function training (performed in community settings or at home) for risk reduction has significant public health relevance in older age, due to the high prevalence of falls and fall-related injuries and fractures among older adults, as well as the consequent morbidity, disability and reduced quality of life.

Chronic diseases account for 75% of health care spending in the United States, and about 80% of adults ≥60 years of age have at least one chronic condition, and 77% have at least two. Low levels of daily physical activity often co-exist with chronic disease, thereby accelerating the risk of functional decline, disability, and mortality. Ample evidence now indicates that physical inactivity is among the strongest predictors of physical disability in older people. Aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and multicomponent physical activity appear to have the strongest relationship to improvements in physical function in the general aging population, as well as among those with chronic conditions. Thus, such activities may delay or improve mobility disability, frailty, and loss of independence in aging and also indicate that it is never too late to attain the benefits of an active lifestyle!

Learn More about the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2nd Edition 

 

Loretta DiPietro, PhD, MPH, FACSM, is a Professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University. Dr. DiPietro received her training in epidemiology at Yale University. For over three decades, her research has focused on physical activity, and she has worked very hard to combine the two disciplines of epidemiology and physiology to better understand the mechanistic underpinnings of the benefits of exercise. Dr. DiPietro is recognized internationally as a leader in the field of physical activity and aging. An accomplished and widely published researcher, she has been awarded numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer Society, and has been invited to lecture around the world. She is a current Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. In 2016, Dr. DiPietro was appointed to the United States Department of Health and Human Services 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee and serves as the Chair of the subcommittee on Aging. In June of 2017, she received the American College of Sports Medicine Citation Award for her career accomplishments. Dr. DiPietro currently serves on the World Health Organization’s 2020 Guidelines Development Group for Global Physical Activity Guidelines.

Take Home Points:

1. Exercise professionals should know where to “draw-the-line” when assisting clients with nutrition and diet -related questions and goals.

2. People who engage in the practice of nutrition and dietetics when they are not licensed potentially will face legal consequences.

3. Exercise professionals should provide only general, non-medical nutrition education to clients.

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Regulation of Exercise Science Professions and Exercise Professionals

Exercise professionals have more opportunities to discuss nutrition issues with their clients since they see them more regularly than nutrition professionals.  It can be confusing about where to “draw-the-line” when assisting clients with nutrition and diet-related questions and goals.

Nutrition and dietetics professionals have one professional organization, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (www.eatright.org) that provides the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential for practice.  On the other hand, there is no single accrediting body for programs in the exercise sciences that results in a uniform nationally recognized credential. Many kinesiology and exercise science degree programs may require one or two nutrition courses or include nutrition content in an existing course. However, this general nutrition overview does not provide the education and training necessary to perform individualized nutrition assessment, counseling and meal planning, especially for those who have health issues.

Each American College of Sports Medicine certification has associated job task analyses (JTA) that serve as the foundation for the exam blueprint (also known as an exam content outline), some related to nutrition. The tasks related to nutrition are knowledge statements not skill statements that encourage or require certified exercise professionals to provide nutrition assessments and interventions. These knowledge statements reflect possible discussion topics that could come up when working with a client or are a topic that the exercise professional could determine requires addressing (e.g., referral to an RDN).

 

Importance of Working with a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics

There are additional board certifications beyond the RDN credential, including the Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) (scandpg.org/scan/subgroups/sports-performance/be-a-board-certified-sports-dietitian-cssd). Someone with a CSSD has demonstrated training in both exercise and nutrition and possesses specialized expertise in working with athletes and active individuals.  When referring a client for nutrition advice, look for someone with a CSSD credential, though an RDN alone is better than no credential.

 

"When referring a client for nutrition advice, look for someone with a CSSD credential..."

Potential Legal Consequences

Currently, 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have enacted statutory provisions regulating the practice of nutrition and dietetics either through state licensure or statutory certification (eatrightpro.org/advocacy/licensure/licensure-map). Although statutes vary, many states dictate that it is illegal to engage in the profession of nutrition and dietetics without first obtaining a license. Potential legal consequences of engaging in the practice of nutrition and dietetics when not licensed include the following:

Criminal Charges

• Breaking a state licensure law is a criminal offense, subject to misdemeanor or felony penalties ranging from a cease and desist order to fines and imprisonment.
• Criminal charges can occur for violations of statutes such as state licensing laws.

Civil Claims/Negligence Lawsuits

• The plaintiff (injured party) has to prove that the defendant (exercise professional) had a duty (a certain standard of care to follow), that the defendant breached that duty, and that the breach of duty caused the harm. Exercise professionals have the duty to practice within their scope.
• If an individual is harmed due to any nutrition advice provided by a defendant, he/she can sue the defendant (e.g., the exercise professional and/or employer) for negligence, whether or not the conduct violated a state statute is not the issue. The issue is if the conduct caused the harm.
• Exercise professionals should realize that even seemingly benign advice might lead to harm. If faced with a negligence lawsuit, exercise professionals cannot claim, as a legally-effective defense, that they did not know about the harmful consequences of the nutritional advice they provided. Several viable, legal defenses to refute negligence lawsuits do exist but ignorance (or lack of knowledge) is not one of them.

Establishing Scope of Practice Guidelines and Staff Training

Exercise professionals do not provide “individualized nutritional advice” but only “general, non-medical nutrition education” to clients. An exercise professional can use nutrition information and guidelines published by governmental organizations such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  They may also reinforce individual recommendations provided by an RDN/CSSD.

Once a policy statement is developed by a facility, the procedures related to the policy need to reflect a Scope of Practice (SOP) that is consistent with the law and competencies developed by professional organizations. It is recommended to seek legal counsel in the development, implementation and dissemination of this policy and procedures. The person leading the facility staff training not only needs to describe the written policy and procedures but explain why (from a safety and legal perspective) they have been developed. A training outcome should be that staff members know how to provide “general non-medical nutrition education” when communicating with clients and when referring to an RDN/CSSD. Some fitness facilities have opted to have RDN/CSSDs available who can provide individualized nutritional services for their members/ participants.

 

Examples of the Practice of Nutrition & Dietetics Versus General Non-Medical Nutrition Information

 

ACTIVITY	DEFINITIONS
Practice of nutrition & dietetics	Nutritional assessment to determine nutritional needs and to recommend appropriate nutritional intake Nutritional counseling or education as components of preventive, curative, and restorative health care. Development, administration, evaluation, and consultation regarding nutritional care standards.
General, non- medical nutrition information	Providing information on the following:   principles of good nutrition and food preparation;   food to be included in the normal daily diet of healthy individuals;   the essential nutrients needed by the body;   recommended amounts of the essential nutrients for healthy individuals;   the actions of nutrients on the body;   the effects of deficiencies or excesses of nutrients; or   food and supplements that are good sources of essential nutrients.

 

Working Together

Ideally, RDN/CSSDs and exercise professionals work together as part of a medical, athletic or fitness/wellness team, but the reality is that many exercise professionals and RDN/CSSDs work independently of each other. This lack of interaction, cooperation, and regular communication can contribute to a blurring of the SOP line. It is not until we work closely with other professionals that we can truly understand their professional capacity and how it differs from our own.

Must Read:
For more on this topic be sure to check out the original article published in ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal®, “DRAWING THE LINE: Understanding the Scope of Practice Among Registered Dietitian Nutritionists and Exercise Professionals”

Author: 

Laura J. Kruskall, Ph.D., RDN, CSSD, LD, FACSM, FAND, ACSM-EP
Dr. Kruskall is an Associate Professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and is the Director of the Dietetic Internship & the UNLV Nutrition Center.  Her areas of expertise are sports nutrition, weight management and medical nutrition therapy. Her research interests include the effects of nutrition or exercise intervention on body composition and energy metabolism.  In addition to her duties at the university, Dr. Kruskall is a member of the Editorial Board for ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal®, is an ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist, and is a nutrition consultant for Canyon Ranch Spaclub and Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas.

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