There are a variety of health professionals, qualified or not who can provide you health and fitness advice. But how do you know which one would benefit you the most? Here we break down the 3 most common health and fitness professionals, personal trainers, nutritionists, and dieticians.
What’s a personal trainer?
Personal trainers help you achieve your fitness goals as efficiently as possible through mostly physical training and the gym. They will create a fitness plan based on your current fitness and mobility levels. A good trainer will also motivate you to push harder and make working out something to enjoy.
Personal trainers ensure you do each exercise safely and with proper form, so you reach your fitness goals with ease and minimal injury.
Why choose a personal trainer?
- You want to achieve your fitness goals safely, efficiently, and quickly.
- You need some accountability.
- You need to be kept motivated.
- You want muscle growth, improved mobility, and endurance.
What are Nutritionists?
You can have a registered nutritionist who are qualified to provide information and advice food and healthy eating. However, they can’t provide advice on special diets for medical conditions. But if the nutritionist is part of a team of medical professionals (GPs, Doctors and Nurses) then you can receive advice related to a medical condition.
In the UK the professional body for registered body for nutritionists is the Association for Nutrition. Only individuals registered with this body can be considered registered nutritionists. However, anyone can be a nutritionist registered or not.
A popular unregistered nutritionists are nutritional therapists. Nutritional therapists practice complementary medicine which isn’t considered a valid form of conventional medicine.
Nutritional therapists believe the body has underlying nutritional and biochemical imbalances that are the cause of bad health. This is called functional medicine and different to conventional medicine. They provide vitamins, supplements, and detoxes.
Why choose a Nutritionist?
- Nutritionists provide great general dietary advice for unmedical related concerns.
- Registered Nutritionists are back by scientific research.
- Great for leading a general healthy lifestyle
What are Dieticians?
Registered Dieticians are the only qualified health professionals that monitor, diagnose, and treat nutritional/dietary issues both at an individual and public health level.
Dieticians are also the most up to date on public health and scientific research on diseases and food. Making them the best to advise on the appropriate lifestyle and food choices.
Dieticians are nutrition professionals and are regulated by law with an ethical code they must follow.
Why choose a Dietician?
- Dieticians are great for serious health issues related to medical conditions.
- They are qualified to provide medication for a nutritional issue.
A personal trainer is great in providing you physical aspects of health with some having general knowledge of nutrition. By working with both a personal trainer and nutritionist then you’ll gain the optimum level of health advice to help you achieve your fitness goals. However, if you can’t lead a healthy lifestyle due to a medical condition this is where you find a dietician who can help you tackle the issue.
