On Monday, I talked about we’ve strayed too far from the basics of exercise. Clients are looking for the quick fix. The fitness industry is fully saturated and coaches are trying to stand out among the thousands of people. But it’s not only exercise, we see this in nutrition as well. Coaches are advising clients according to their preference, not what is best for the client.
Yes, while it’s true some people know the basics and we can safely assume a basic knowledge of fruits and vegetables being healthy. There are still those who aren’t able to recognize the difference in fat content between a chicken thigh and breast. The fat content difference between the two can be as high as 10-13g of fat.
There’s also the issue of misinformation. When I was looking up the fat content difference, the same article noted that the recommendation for women for protein is 46g per day. (Don’t worry, I checked the fat content elsewhere after!) While much of the mainstream fitness industry promotes higher protein than recommended, 46g per day is low for the majority of the population. We should aim to consume 0.8-1.1g/lb of lean body mass per day, depending on individual fitness goals.
It’s easy to get caught up in the trends. The fad diets. The programs that promise to get you “Fit in Six Weeks!”
But I think we’re heading in the right direction. People are demanding more. We’re looking at education and credentials. We’re not falling for the marketing scams and the fake coaches. But it’s hard sometimes.
It seems as if everyone has a fitness Instagram. Everyone wants to share their knowledge. But a big part of that is that people also have to know when to stay in their lane. What is their scope of practice? We need to be mindful and stay within.
For example, in no way am I qualified to work with those who have eating disorders or some medically diagnosed injuries. You’ll hear me to encourage people to refer out if they have these when I give recommendations on a podcast or in an article. I do all that I can to stay within my scope and not overstep into areas in which I have no business.
As coaches, we need to get back to the basics of helping people and meeting them where they’re at. We talked in regard to fitness on Monday, but nutrition goes hand in hand. The fitness industry, in general, needs to get back to the basics.
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