AFPA Health and Fitness Blog

As a certified nutrition professional, you positively impact people’s lives in many ways. Working as a sole proprietor means doing all the jobs: accounting, marketing, advertising, customer service, and delivering the services. With so much work to do, growing and expanding can prove to be a challenge. Don’t lose sight of your passion and why you became certified. Once you have the basics of starting your business covered, read on for how to grow your online nutrition business.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published November 2016 and has recently been updated and revised for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

When turning your passion for nutrition and wellness into a career track, it’s likely that you’ll consider a certification program. Not only does this type of program give you the in-depth educational resources that help you master the topic, but it also communicates a level of credibility and confidence to your clients.

A certification lets them—and potential employers—know that you’ve undertaken a rigorous and research-centered approach to learning about nutrition, which gives you the insights you need to help others.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published November 2014 and has recently been updated and revised for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Are you passionate about physical fitness, training and motivating athletes to excel and improve their performance? Do you already have knowledge and expertise from participating in sports throughout your life? As a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, you can work with a variety of different athletic individuals, from aspiring to professional athletes. If you're interested in a career that is not only fulfilling mentally, but physically, and inspires others in the process; a professional fitness career could be right for you.

Establishing a thriving personal training business requires a consistent flow of both new and ongoing clients. If you’re a new personal trainer or don’t have as many clients as you’d like, focusing on getting more clients is likely a top priority.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published September 25, 2014 and has recently been updated and revised for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Your clients are spending hours and a significant amount of money with you every single week, so nothing can be more frustrating for you and your client than when they aren't seeing the results they are looking for. Unfortunately, this can happen for a number of different reasons:

1. There isn't enough 'variety' in the workout plans for your client.
2. Trouble spots are not being targeted.
3. Clients are only working out with you, and not outside of training days.
4. You are focusing on strength training more than cardio, or vice-versa.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published March 2016 and has recently been updated and revised for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

As a personal trainer, it's always important to get to know your prospective clients as much as possible before determining that they'd be a good fit for your services. All too often, however, personal trainers don't understand the right questions to ask to get a true feel for a potential client.

In general, there are six key questions that you should be taking the time to ask all new clients before you think about scheduling them for their first workout session.

Did you know that the human body is made up of approximately 60% water?

Water is crucial for healthy digestion, proper breathing, and just about every basic function. When you don’t have proper fluid levels, dehydration can occur which can lead to various less than favorable side effects.

Dealing with chronic anxiety is no easy task. Those who suffer from it often struggle with an unfocused mind, heart palpitations, and an inability to sleep deeply each night. Not only do these symptoms compromise one’s quality of life, but research shows that stress and disease are intimately connected.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published November 2015 and has recently been updated and revised for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

As defined by The National MS Society Multiple sclerosis (MS) involves an immune-mediated process in which an abnormal response of the body’s immune system is directed against the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. The exact antigen — or target that the immune cells are sensitized to attack — remains unknown, which is why MS is considered by many experts to be "immune-mediated" rather than "autoimmune."