“What website, e-newsletter or other health resource do you recommend to your clients, and why?”

Before my studio opened, I worked out at home and I needed guidance and structure. In searching the Web, I stumbled on FitnessBlender.com. I have never stopped using it or endorsing it! The site’s owners are people with strong, diverse fitness backgrounds. Their workouts are varied and well put together. You can find information on whatever your body needs that day, from Pilates and yoga to HIIT to total strength exercises. The site has tons of options for length and levels of workouts.

I love the site’s outlook on life, food, fitness and finding balance in your life. It offers food plans that include whole foods, with no supplements or off-the-wall diet ideas. The owners share their passion, knowledge and great lifestyle for free to anyone who chooses to invest the time. I feel confident telling my students to use this site. I believe it’s as close to my way of training as it gets.

Judy Pignatelli
ACE-Certified Personal Trainer
Owner/Trainer, Inception Body Works LLC
Kenosha, Wisconsin

There are some amazing resources available to fitness professionals to help us promote a healthy lifestyle to our clients. It’s important to help clients add to their own knowledge. As they better understand some of the key issues surrounding their health, they increase their personal level of commitment, motivation and, ultimately, results.

Generally, I tend to recommend listening to podcasts; I find that these are easy to consume and they get information across in an informative, entertaining manner. The nutrition-focused Guru Performance’s We Do Science podcast is scientific and covers many key topics in nutrition. I also recommend the popular “Underground Wellness” blog, with the entertaining and knowledgeable Sean Croxton. Also, The Fitcast: Fitness and Nutrition podcast is a good one. It covers a range of topics, including fitness, nutrition and the psychological aspects of training.

There are many podcasts that help different types of clients, but the three listed above tend to be the ones that are helpful across a broad range of client goals. If your clients are not currently podcast listeners, I strongly recommend that they give these podcasts a try!

Tom Godwin
Managing Director, Foresight Personal Training
Manchester, United Kingdom

Through research and trial and error, I have found a few “go-to” websites that really resonate with me. These sites make learning fun and easy.

Kris Gunnars of AuthorityNutrition.com works with a team of highly educated individuals to present well-written, referenced and researched articles on nutrition. I am particular about what I suggest to my clients. I need to believe in what I “preach,” and I need to have the information to back it up. Gunnars and his team explain topics in a way that makes them easy to understand. One of my favorite articles from this website was titled “6 Proven Ways to Lose Belly Fat.” I shared the article, and it reached more than 1,300 people (one of my highest share records to date). In addition, Kris will happily respond to questions, which I think is phenomenal.

Another favorite website is FitnessEducationSeminars.com, which has changed my career path for the better. Evan Osar, DC, has become my favorite go-to expert for rehabilitative and strengthening exercises. He provides rehabilitative exercise recommendations on myriad issues for health and fitness professionals, and his instructional videos are easy to follow and understand. My favorite video is on hip centration. I use that one a lot with clients.

My third favorite website is WHfoods .org (World’s Healthiest Foods), which provides nutritional information on pretty much all real food. I share with clients a wealth of knowledge from the website, such as the origin of a food, where it grows best, its nutrient content, preparation suggestions and more. I use this site daily with clients.

Bridget Scarbrough
It’s Up to You LLC
Culpeper, Virginia

It is thrilling to have clients who are so enthused about health and fitness that they request website recommendations. The challenge is where to send them! We feel our reputation is on the line, so we make our selections very thoughtfully. We stay “safe” by only recommending websites that we personally use. These include www.ideafit.com, NSCA.com, ACEfitness.org, www.ACSM.org and www.SafeMedication.com. We also like the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter.

A side benefit to sharing these sites is that clients often share their newfound information with us. Then we can use it as a springboard for discussions during their sessions, establishing what is valid, what is trendy and what is relevant.

Scott and Barbi Jackson
Scott Jackson’s Real Life Fitness
Nevada City, California

I love Precision Nutrition’s newsletter because it gives applicable information regarding nutrition. The newsletter provides proven information that the staff members have studied themselves with their more than 20,000 clients, or it explains how to read and understand the clinical studies. The site provides infographics or practical steps to apply the information for losing weight, building muscle or reducing inflammation or dietary pain.

For example, the site recently posted an article titled, “How to Fix a Broken Diet.” It gave a three-step process on how to do that, including advice on what to look for in a diet. Then, to simplify the information, the site provided an infographic of the three steps involved. Therefore, the viewer didn’t need to keep the whole newsletter on the screen; he or she could print out the infographic as a reminder of the 3 steps, what to look for and what needs to be done. It’s real, practical, scientific nutritional advice made easy and applicable!

I often share the infographics with clients. They love them as well, and I love that I can help more clients discover the exercise, food and lifestyle strategies that work for them so they can not only look good but also feel great while reaching their ideal weight.

Jocelyn Martin
Be Your Best Personal Training
West Boylston, Massachusetts

We utilize a lot of great websites, apps and technology to enhance our clients’ experience. Here are a few apps and websites:

Nutrition

• Fooducate app: It’s like having your own personal registered dietitian accompanying you in the grocery store. Scan it and it will rate a food for you! It’s great for people with food allergies. The app was built by an RD.
• NSF for Sport app: The app certifies supplement safety and has a list of certified supplement companies.
• HealthyOut app: Put your nutrition restrictions or health goals into this app, and it will help you find restaurants in the area that meet your dietary requirements.
• EatRight.org website: This is the official website of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• SCANDPG.org website: This site is a dietetic practice group for sports RDs, and it has great content and handouts.

Fitness

• MyFitnessPal app: The app is easy to use and links with all the new wearables (Fitbit, Jawbone, etc.).
• DartfishExpress app: This is a great app for your phone or iPad; it analyzes movement. Useful for teaching technique, analyzing running/walking mechanics, lifts, etc.
• FuelUpToPlay60.com website: This is a website that we use with our younger kids to help them understand the importance of exercise and healthy nutrition. It was developed by the NFL and is very good.

Dale Huff, CSCS
Co-owner of NutriFormance–Fitness, Therapy & Performance, and Athletic Republic-St. Louis Sports Performance Conditioning
Frontenac, Missouri