FEATURE ARTICLE
SHOULD PERSONAL TRAINERS ALSO BE
REGISTERED DIETITIANS?
TESLA OLDFIELD AND KYLE RYAN, PHD
O
ftentimes, individuals approach weight loss by abruptly
subjecting themselves to a diet. They want to lose weight,
they want to lose it fast, and they feel that adhering to a
diet alone will be enough. However, for many individuals, following
a diet alone does not work. The human body needs a sufficient
amount of nutrients, in proper balance, to function properly and
improve. Any associated training program must match the diet to
elicit the desired outcome. Combining the nutritional aspect and
the training aspect of personal training introduces the question
of whether there is a benefit to personal trainers also being
registered dietitians.
It can be assumed that people desire to work with personal
trainers because they view personal trainers as having the
knowledge, determination, education, and potentially the
equipment to help them achieve their health goals. Hypothetically,
if people were given the option to choose between a personal
trainer without a nutrition certification and a trainer that was
also a registered dietitian (RD), which one would be the favored
choice? It would be safe to say that most people would select the
latter. If all personal trainers were RDs, their client bases could
potentially increase and their clients could reap the full benefits
from both sound advice on nutrition and fitness. Many fitness
professionals would state with confidence that certified personal
trainers have the knowledge to perform their jobs adequately.
That is not what is in question here, but rather, whether personal
trainers would benefit from becoming RDs as well.
It is obvious that physical fitness is important when maintaining
health and wellness, but it should not be the sole priority. Four
14
of the leading causes of death (heart disease, stroke, cancer, and
type II diabetes) are associated with unhealthy eating patterns
that do not follow the recommendations made by food and
nutrition professionals (2). Seeing as how these recommendations
are usually provided by someone other than their personal trainer,
it would appear that the benefit of personal trainers becoming
RDs would be that these same recommendations could be
provided in conjunction with a fitness plan in a personal training
setting. The American Dietetic Association described the role of an
RD in relation to clients and physical activity by stating, “RDs play
a valuable role in helping patients achieve caloric balance through
diet and physical activity by assessing caloric needs based on
height, ideal bodyweight, and current levels of physical activity.
RDs can help patients implement appropriate lifestyle changes,
and help patients stay motivated to adhere to these
new behaviors,” (2).
This plays into the motivational aspect of personal trainers.
Personal trainers that are also RDs could help clients achieve
their goals better by providing physical and nutritional
recommendations to improve adherence to these lifestyle
changes. This was supported when the New York Times estimated
that roughly 75% of the $2.8 trillion in annual healthcare costs
in the United States is from chronic diseases that can often be
reversed or prevented altogether by a healthy lifestyle, and
that personal trainers with dual certifications or degrees can
increase the likelihood of reversing these costs (1). Becoming
and maintaining one’s status as an RD in addition to being a
certified personal trainer could radically alter the personal training
landscape. It would allow certified personal trainers to provide
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