Consumers today are seeking more than just exercise from their gym; it is therefore essential for your facility to meet their broader need. Adding a cost-effective profit center is the key to achieving this goal. Lucrative profit centers are an important part of a solid business plan.

More specifically, nutrition is a fundamental element in overall wellness. However, it is often an underutilized area of programming. Suitable nutrition plays a large role in whether members reach their fitness goals.

Having a nutritional component at your facility will help members associate your business with positive results. Nutrition services are the perfect companion to your current personal training and group exercise programs.

Personal trainers and dietitians agree that proper nutrition and exercise combined is crucial to success Atkinson By offering nutrition services, your facility will improve overall client results, add new revenue streams, increase retention and provide creative options for packaging services to attract new members.

The first step in offering a nutrition program is to consider the needs of your membership. Program offerings that are consistent with what your members want will yield the greatest participation and adherence.

Survey your membership base to determine their main nutrition interests so that you increase the likelihood of enrollment in your program. Include questions such as these:. Invest in hiring a registered dietitian RD to lead your nutrition program. Therefore, when selecting the professional for this position, also consider passion, presence, energy and networking skills as key criteria King You can find potential candidates by consulting your local chapter of the American Dietetic Association.

An experienced RD will know not only the basics of proper nutrition but also the best ways to convey this information to members. So whether your members have a specific objective, such as losing weight or reducing high blood pressure, or whether they are looking for overall ways to stay fit and healthy, a dietetics professional can aid them in finding their way through the countless health and nutrition claims.

An RD should be able to create sessions and consultations that include education; psychological exercises to enhance knowledge and overcome emotional obstacles; information on how to set realistic goals; and strategies for creating a personalized plan for healthy eating. One facility that has hired an RD to start a nutrition program is 21st Century Health Club in Windsor, California.

This facility has a full-time RD on staff who works closely with each client to develop effective, individualized plans that emphasize moderation, smart food choices and integration of positive health behaviors into daily life. In addition, the RD offers a variety of services, including group weight loss classes, menu planning, personal shopping and development of strategies for dining out.

Different people have different learning styles as well as different nutrition and wellness objectives. By varying your program offerings, you will attract greater participation. Consider offering both private, one-on-one nutrition counseling and group programming at various price points.

These flexible options allow you to cater to multiple learning styles and personal budgets. Participants record their progress on personalized charts.

The program also includes weekly e-mail updates, tips and inspiration. Include articles, grocery shopping suggestions and meal-planning tips. The idea is to give members as many opportunities as possible to learn and experience the benefits of healthy nutrition at your facility.

Club BodFit, located in Tampa, Florida, achieves this objective with its on-site gourmet health-food café, Beneficial Health and Nutrition LLC BHN. These groups allow members to build relationships with like-minded individuals and to share what they are learning.

Implementing a nutrition program is the first step. Equally important is the second step: ensuring that your members take advantage of it.

Creative marketing is vital to long-term success. Diet and eating have a direct effect on this. Sudden changes in blood sugar levels can impact underlying anxiety and stress levels.

The food a client chooses to eat and the timing of eating causes blood sugar to increase or decrease. Certain foods, including carbohydrates, have a direct impact. Clients can achieve stable blood sugar levels by frequently eating small meals or snacking and not skipping meals.

Sugary foods in a diet plan spike insulin levels. Stick to healthier options, including limited complex carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables. Nutrients that help manage stress and inflammation in the body are antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids.

To develop a diet plan, you first need to obtain details on family history, food allergies, medications, supplements, jobs, nutritional desires, and current eating habits.

Avoid placing limitations on a client's diet by considering these details. The time that clients are asleep, when they eat, and what they eat are also important. The more variety a client has with food and diet choices, the more they will consume phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

A lot of these nutrients come from sources of vegetables. Nutrition plans are for clients of all ages and you should aim to quiet the noise that fad diets and myths create in our clients' minds.

This will help avoid hesitation towards the new approach we recommend to them. Every client can benefit from balanced meals comprised of healthy fats , fruits, vegetables, lean meats, complex carbohydrates, and whole grains.

A well-balanced diet ensures that your clients eat micronutrients. When designing meals be sure to monitor salt intake, sugar intake, alcohol consumption, and unhealthy fats—saturated or trans fats. In a client's diet plan, provide a food list that breaks down food into categories.

These categories are what make up a well-balanced meal. Accompany this with portion size comparison charts rather than just serving size recommendations. This makes it easier for clients to create meals quickly and efficiently without the headache of measuring or weighing their food. To help with this you can refer clients to the MyPlate guidelines so they can fill their plate with the right amounts of food they need to eat.

Food logging supports this with comparisons between energy, stress, and hunger or satiety levels. The relationship between eating factors and feelings helps clients take control of choosing foods that make them feel better.

Children can play a major role in a client's diet plan and food logging. Clients should have a support system implemented by making fun and healthy snacks for children.

Set goals for them to eat the rainbow each day and let them pick out fruits and vegetables they want to be part of each meal. Be sure to plan each meal to help avoid last-minute bad eating choices. Spouses need to be on board as well.

They can be a great help with keeping unhealthy foods out of the house. Choosing baked or grilled cooking options is crucial. Replacing sodas or juices with flavored sparkling water and substituting desserts like ice cream sundaes with yogurt parfaits is also a big part of nutrition plans.

Also, as a trainer, we must notice any eating trends and observe any food that provides hidden calories in our client's diet.

Food logging helps you pick out these eating patterns so you can address them. When clients feel obligated to track everything they eat, they constantly stress over it because they don't feel in control of their meal plan. If they log the food they eat and relate it to how they feel based on that food choice, they can build independence in their nutrition.

With technology always advancing, there are no excuses for clients and trainers to not being organized. Apps are a great tool to use to alleviate mental stress on clients that a meal plan can cause.

With these and many other meal planning apps , you can create nutrition plans that are effective and easy to commit to.

Some apps allow your client to set up a platform according to the type of diet you recommend. They factor in weight loss goals, food allergies, foods they dislike and the number of meals they want to eat during the day.

Others can generate grocery lists from a meal your client chooses, which makes it easier for the client to shop for food. They may even provide the recipes to cook each meal. You can create meals with them and input them into the app. This allows you to get flexible and adjust to their diet plan to their lifestyle.

As a trainer, don't be afraid to seek out health care professionals to assist you in developing a diet plan. Registered dietitians and nutritionists can help make your meal planning even better.

This does not lower your credibility as a professional. It shows your clients the level of professionalism you carry and how much you care about their weight loss and results. Master the science of nutrition by becoming certified as an ISSA Nutritionist.