Nutrition Advice - Who's Listening?

by Matt O'Neil (Dietitian)

When it comes to getting into shape, getting your diet right can get the results you want a lot faster. As fitness businesses are in the results business, how can you provide nutrition advice for members in a way they will use it? Dietitian Matt O�Neill, explains where to start.

In the change room at the gym last week I complimented a fellow member on how hard I noticed he was working out on the weights. He replied, �Thanks, it�s a great feeling and I�m going to enjoy getting on the grog tonight.�

He did use more colourful language and made it clear that he was trading off his active lifestyle with an equally active drinking routine. It was Friday night, so I expected other members were at the gym with a similar motivation.

These types of members, the ones who primarily attend fitness centres to balance their excessive eating and drinking habits by burning calories on the weights and in classes are the hardest to reach with a healthy eating message. Sure, they may seem healthy and may have good genetics, but better health and possibly better physical results could be enjoyed if they improved their diet too.

But these TRADERS won�t want to listen to you. The best chance you�ve got is waiting for their metabolism to slow as they age at which time they will become more aware of just how important diet is to maintain their shape. In the meantime, you can help by providing positive eating messages from staff and also written nutrition information available to all members.

This nutrition information will be noticed by another group of members who are actively trying to change their diet for better results. This group, the TRIALERS read diet books, nutrition articles in newspapers and collect other nutrition tidbits. Some even make it a hobby, which means they will take a nutrition fact sheet home and read it or come along to a member seminar on nutrition. They�ll trial what they learn, but often keep this to themselves without committing to a diet program in concert with personal training. They believe they can do it themselves, so often they don�t enjoy as much success as they could.

The third group of members, the TRACKERS, recognise the need for support and will commit to working on their diet with a trainer for faster results. They know success is not just about what you know about nutrition, but having a plan and someone to help you stick to it. You can consider selling a combined fitness and nutrition package to these members if you are looking for a new service to provide.

So what is the proportion of Traders, Trialers and Trackers at your fitness centre or on your personal training database? It�s probably hard to say, but by knowing these groups and designing your nutrition information, advice and programs accordingly you�ll feel more confident about the services you provide.

For TRADERS, help raise their awareness of good nutrition through staff role modelling, nutrition posters on walls and any nutrition fact sheets you distribute at reception. Some good advice may start to sink in.

For TRIALERS, offer nutrition fact sheets in new membership packs, tips from personal trainers and regular seminars on topics such as eating for performance, bulking up or slimming down.

For TRACKERS, offer a Shape Up package that includes nutrition advice, support and a program plan to keep them on track.

Not all members want to change their diet, but helping TRADERS become TRIALERS and TRAILERS become TRACKERS will ensure more of your members achieve better results for energy, fitness and weight loss with a good diet.

Matt O'Neill provides consulting and instant resources and training on nutrition, weight loss and fitness challenges for fitness businesses at www.SmartShape.com.au .

Click here For Matt�s FREE REPORT to get the facts about �Meal Timing & Weight Loss� and subscribe to his website.

Matt has been a member Australia�s National Health and Medical Research Council Overweight & Obesity Working Party, the Weight Loss Industry Code Administration Council and Nutritionist for the Australian Consumers� Association. In 2000 he was awarded the Australian Fitness Network�s Presenter of the Year and Author of the Year in 2005.