Why I’m Studying To Be A Certified Nutrition Coach

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Precision Nutrition. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hi there! How are you doing out there?

I have some exciting news to share with you, and it’s all about taking a huge leap towards the next step in professional services as a certified personal trainer and online coach.

After waiting five years too long, I have finally jumped into the journey of becoming a Certified Nutrition Coach! This is something that is really exciting to write about, but more importantly, I wanted to talk about the WHY behind it.

Here’s a breakdown of what having this certification means for someone like me (or you!), what it will do to expand my business, and what it can do from a personal trainer’s perspective.

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Just in case you’re newer around the blog, here’s a recap of my story and background.

• I have studied dance my entire life and danced professionally for two NBA teams (Orlando and Detroit) for a total of six seasons from 2007-2014.
• I traded dancing boots for sneakers six years ago and became a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Women’s Fitness Specialist. I worked for a boutique gym in Metro Detroit as a personal and small group trainer for about a year and a half, and I still miss it.
• Almost five years ago, my husband and I moved to New York City and I worked on the “other side of the glass” as a Studio Manager for a new Orangetheory Fitness studio in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
• I left my full-time job in February 2020 to work at home for myself while being the main caretaker for our son, Skyler (almost three years old.)

My husband and I are both still navigating this unforeseen season of living and working as self-employed entrepreneurs though a global pandemic, but it’s time to unpause, press play and move forward into new goals and opportunities.

And here we are!

Why This Certification Is Key For Personal Trainers

You may or may not know that I offer virtual training services. The truth is, I haven’t promoted it much, and there is a reason. While I feel equipped to train clients from anywhere with little to no equipment, I have always felt like I am missing a big part of what I could offer.

Certified Personal Trainers have the knowledge and credibility to coach the fitness side of long-term and sustainable healthy living. We have the skillset to create workout templates to drive results, hit specific goals and recover from injuries. We’ve got you covered on the fitness front, but we generally stay vague when it comes to the nutrition side, and there is also a reason behind this.

While nutrition is covered in the studies, it isn’t a focus, even though learning how to eat an ideal, balanced diet is extremely important for any client.

Trainers can offer examples for healthy meal ideas and suggestions, but we cannot create specific meal plans or tell you exactly what you should and shouldn’t be eating to go full-speed into your progress … unless we get certified to do so.

Knowing this, I have always been general in talking about healthy eating. I love creating lightened-up recipes, offering healthy snack ideas, and showing what eating in our home looks like, but that is where I stop. I don’t feel comfortable offering more than that, nor should I without the right training and certifications to back my words.

I have always been interested in the science behind nutrition, not only to learn more for myself, but also to be able to offer a full package in coaching services that covers training and nutrition. And this exactly why I have chosen to pursue the Level 1 Nutrition Coach Certification with Precision Nutrition.

Why Precision Nutrition?

My other certifications came from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), so why did I choose PN for the nutrition side? Well, after talking to a few friends who have gone through this or even both programs, I gathered that PN offers more material and real-life practices throughout the course.

The PN Level 1 Certification is trusted by over 150,000 health and fitness professionals, and I got a small taste of their education style and credentials after attending a nutritional talk at the 2019 IDEA Fitness Convention with co-founder John Berardi.

I could have spent several more hours listening to him talk and hearing his answers to our questions, and one of the biggest things that I learned was that your eating habits and overall nutrition level could be greatly affected by your sleep and stress levels. It’s all connected and all a part of healthy living. This made me realize that I was doing myself a disservice NOT learning more about nutrition, especially if I want to be the best coach that I can be for clients!

I talked to a few representatives at that conference and tabled the idea of this certification until the right time. Well, the time is now, and I am looking forward to sharing more about the experience with you as I go through it!

Interesting in joining me?

As you already know, I am thrilled to be starting this certification and wanted to share it with you as soon as possible in case it peeks your interest, too.

I just received my books in the mail with access to the online learning portals, so I am in the very beginning stages myself. In fact, I plan to fully dive into the introduction and the first chapter over the weekend!

I was generously offered access to the program in exchange for sharing my honest thoughts and reviews with you, but I was already on the pre-sale list ready to hit “purchase” before I got the word. That said, I highly suggest you do the same and get on the list if you are looking for a discount (up to 30% off!) on the upcoming enrollment coming in March.

You can learn it all online and at your own pace, and I will be sharing more about the studying process and how it’s going as I dive in. It would be fun to have an accountability partner and study buddy, so let me know if you’re interested in chatting more about it!

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This is an announcement post, but I hope that it has also offered insight on what I plan to get out of this program and what it could do for you.

Thank you for being here, and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions that I didn’t cover. Cheers to new adventures and opportunities ahead in 2021!

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Disclaimer: After choosing to go for the PN Level 1 Certification, I reached out to the company and offered to share my experience in exchange for access to the program. I am very grateful for this partnership! Even so, please know I had already decided to purchase the program on my own, and as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own on this and any future posts!