The way we were …
In early 2003 the front cover of Network magazine featured personal trainer Johnnie Cass , a housemate in the first Aussie season of Big Brother . Inside , Cass wrote about the importance of fuelling your own passion for the fitness industry in order to avoid burnout :
“… it is absolutely crucial that you take care of yourself . After all , how much of a role model can you be to your clients if you are lacking energy or enthusiasm ?”
Elsewhere , Farhan Dhalla provided tips on taking your PT clients ’ training outdoors :
“ The Beaches Boot Camp will challenge your clients through a vigorous series of muscular conditioning exercises interspersed with aerobic training between each station . … The fun begins when you start to look around to see what you can turn into a piece of fitness equipment . For example , a tree branch can be used for chin ups or a park bench can be used for incline or decline push ups … Most importantly , soak up the summer sun and fun , enjoy being in the outdoors and your clients will too !”
1 thing I ’ ve learnt
Maureen ( Mo ) Hagan , VP Program Innovation GoodLife Fitness Canada and canfitpro , mohagan . com
“ One thing I ’ ve learnt in leading the Canadian fitness industry is that success begins and ends with you ! Be committed to your own personal development . A position or title , while impressive to some , is no longer what differentiates a good leader from a great leader . Great leaders are path-finders , risk-takers , authentic and inspiring communicators . They lead themselves while showing others the way forward . There is still a lot of work to do to transform our industry into a credible and respected global wellness movement that consumers value as much as other healthcare offerings . Prevention and selfcare will need to be part of the medical spectrum so that fitness and wellness professionals will be in a position to influence . The future is bright for those who dare to lead !”
Are we in the weight loss business ?
In November last year , when I was a panel member at the New Zealand FITEX Business Summit , a club operator asked ‘ Are we in the weight loss business , and if so why don ’ t we promote the fact ?’ A great question that the fitness industry has grappled with for years .
Before answering the question let ’ s look at the facts . In 2014-15 , 63.4 per cent ( 11.2 million ) of Australians aged 18 years and over were either overweight or obese . More specifically , 35.5 per cent ( 6.3 million ) were considered overweight , with 27.9 per cent ( 4.9 million ) considered obese . What is concerning is that there is no plateauing in these numbers .
So what realistic position should the fitness industry hold in the area of weight loss and weight management ? There is no question that an obese person requires specialist support , nutritional guidance and counselling in order to achieve a positive weight loss outcome . As such , this group sits well outside fitness professionals ’ scope of practise . However , the same is not true of the 6.3 million Australians who are overweight .
Defining overweight can be very subjective , so as an industry we need to have an objective measure . Though not perfect , Body Mass Index ( BMI - weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared ) provides a relatively effective screening tool for overweight or obese people . If your BMI is less than 18.5 you ’ re in the underweight range . If your BMI is between 18.5 and 25 you are in the normal range , but if it ’ s between 25 and 30 you ’ re considered overweight . Anything above 30 and you ’ re in the obese range . The bottom line is that the majority of people with BMI ’ s in the late 20s are not exercising enough and tend to eat too much of the wrong foods . The majority of the 6.3 million Australians who are overweight do not , therefore , need specialist nutrition support and counselling , but they do need someone who can guide them through an exercise program and provide them sound nutritional advice .
The problem we have is that the Fitness Industry Scope of Practice states that Registered Exercise Professionals cannot provide nutritional advice outside of basic healthy eating information and nationally endorsed nutritional standards and guidelines . If operators , personal trainers and group fitness instructors actually conformed to this scope of practise they would be doing their members and clients , many of whom are seeking ‘ weight loss ’, an injustice : after all , it is generally accepted that weight loss is around 70 per cent nutrition and 30 per cent exercise .
So in answering the question of whether we are in the weight loss business , my answer is an emphatic ‘ yes ’. I encourage Fitness Australia to urgently review its Scope of Practise in regards to nutritional advice so that training organisations can provide exercise professionals with the knowledge and skills to help those people who are overweight but not obese .
28-30 APRIL 2017 / ICC SYDNEY
IHRSA ’ s Woman Leader of the Year , Mo is presenting at FILEX 2017 – read about her sessions , and register for the best weekend of your year , at filex . com . au / presenters
Nigel Champion , Executive Director director @ fitnessnetwork . com . au
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