By Ali Cicerchi
The goal of the fitness club is to provide members with the necessary tools to live a healthy lifestyle. In order to completely reach this goal, clubs must implement a form of nutrition counseling for their members.
This month we spoke to Karen Vander Linde, a member at Sport&Health in the greater Washington D.C. metro. The impact of adding a nutritionist revolutionized her routine and rejuvenated her lifestyle.
“I was a healthy eater to begin with,” Vander Linde said. “At least I saw myself as a healthy eater.”
Vander Linde, who recently turned 60, started seeing a personal trainer at Sport&Health due to a previous orthopedic surgery. Judi Samuels, Vander Linde’s personal trainer, happened to also be a nutritionist. With the opportunity presented, Vander Linde took full advantage of learning how to eat right.
Previously, Vander Linde had tried different diets, but she never received her desired results. Joking, she said she was going to die on the South Beach Diet; she missed fruit, a large component of Samuels’ plan.
Samuels started Vander Linde on a 14-day program that was structured by outlining healthy food she should continue to eat or add to her diet and what items she didn’t completely need to cut out — Vander Linde said her taste buds have completely changed since. Salty things became too salty and the same with sweets. Only one glass of wine with dinner sat well with her. She also began regularly eating five times a day. Vander Linde didn’t feel like she was sacrificing anything; this became how she wanted to eat.
“I don’t come home and want a DOVEBAR anymore when I’ve had a long day,” Vander Linde said.
Vander Linde has shed 14 pounds and has lowered her cholesterol. Her doctor wanted to know what she had done because of the obvious improvements in her health. Her husband has tried some of Samuels’ tips and he has lost weight, and kept it off — for the first time ever she said. And now, her sister wants to try nutrition counseling too.
She had seen advertisements for certain groups that were getting nutritional counseling, but they weren’t for her, Vander Linde said. By not being obese or even significantly overweight, they were not what she needed. And, while it’s good to offer group programs, gyms must not forget the individuals — for example, those like Vander Linde who do not fit the mold, or those that are too self-conscious in a group.
“I went from what I thought was conscious of foods and their interaction with my body to having knowledge of healthy foods, good-tasting foods,” Vander Linde said. “I don’t think about dieting; I think about eating well.”
With the nutrition counseling Vander Linde never felt like she was starving herself and she began to enjoy the new and different foods she was eating.
She believes other clubs should market their nutritionist! She said she wouldn’t have known a nutritionist was available to her if Samuels hadn’t mentioned it.
“Gyms should first find out who they have working for them that are nutritionists and work with them to market,” Vander Linde said. “If they don’t have anyone, they need to start looking. Clubs offer massages, a massage is great, but why not nutrition?”
Nutrition counseling is undoubtedly important to a member’s success with weight loss. Are you offering nutrition help? Can you even refer a member to a nutritionist if they asked? This is another service members are willing to pay for and something many of them may actually need. Essentially you may be missing out on an opportunity to bring in more revenue and greatly benefit your member.
Now, Vander Linde couldn’t be a bigger advocate for nutrition help, she said. She paid for the help Samuels provided and said it was completely worth the effort. -CS
