The Houstonian Club has been serving the upscale Houston fitness crowd for more than 35 years. Here, fitness director Shannon Cauley discusses nutrition and explains how the club incorporates a healthy food regime into the long list of benefits their members experience.
CS: How does The Houstonian Club work to address nutrition with its members?
SC: The Houstonian Club provides an in-house registered dietitian (RD) for members. Having a dietitian within the clubs allows members to access nutrition information that is evidence based and up to date. The dietitian holds one-on-one sessions with members, as well as provides written content for newsletters and quarterly seminars. Other services provided include grocery story tours, kitchen makeovers, meal planning and presentations. We offer weight-loss programs where we also utilize the dietitian as well.
CS: Why do you think it is important to provide nutritional resources to members? How does it enhance the member experience?
SC: It is important to provide nutrition resources to members at a time when information or rather misinformation, is easily accessed. Members know that there is a nutrition expert conveniently located in a place that they frequent, our club. It is also great to have our personal training clients have the ability to receive expert advice from a dietitian while they work together with the trainer.
CS: What do you think are the most common struggles members have when it comes to their nutrition? What are some ways they can overcome this?
SC: One of the most common struggles that members encounter are fad diets and their after effects. There is a new one every month that is not always nutritionally balanced. Having a dietitian on staff allows members to consult with an expert to help tailor their diet for their expected goals instead of relying on a generic diet that may not be easily customized.
CS: What advice would you give other club operators who might want to help members with their nutrition?
SC: Having a dietitian on staff is a great way to provide expert advice on nutrition. Many personal trainers think they know what’s best for their clients, but they are not the experts in this field. Having a registered dietitian gives the facility so much more credibility. Having a dietitian also allows you to provide more programming that you may not be able to if you didn’t have one.
