Hot off the press.

London, 15th May 2014

Growing risk of wrong nutritional advice from fitness professionals

Over 3,500 health, fitness and wellness professionals have given their career a boost after they’ve completed an advisory training course with The Health Sciences Academy, who helps professionals offer a more comprehensive service and raise the quality of advice to clients. Over the past year alone, the risk of wrong nutritional advice has been increasing.

Maurice Castelijn, Managing Director of The Health Sciences Academy, says: “Unfortunately today more than 80% of personal trainers make recommendations such as “double your protein”, “eat more red meat” or “don’t eat carbs”. They read it somewhere online, picked it up from colleagues or perhaps it worked for them. However helpful may sound, incorrect advice can actually damage someone’s health. Our advisory training courses help mitigate this rapidly growing risk. It’s a fantastic complement to your existing fitness qualifications. And you can learn this from the comfort of your home, or virtually anywhere.”

The Health Sciences Academy’s advisory courses are endorsed by Central YMCA Qualifications (CYQ), the leading and longest-established awarding organisation for health, fitness and wellbeing qualifications in the UK. Moreover, they are CPD accredited too. Advisory courses include:

• Sports and Exercise Nutritional Advisor – Nutritional plans from endurance to strength and power, to fat loss and muscle gain, to competition nutrition
• Clinical Weight Loss Practitioner – Metabolic analysis, hunger and hormones, hidden weight gain factors, food cravings, food intolerances, weight loss psychology
• Dietary Supplements Advisor – Evaluate nutrient deficiencies (over 100 nutrients) and how to remedy these through natural foods or supplements

Maurice Castelijn says: “More people ask fitness professionals for nutritional support. Quality advice to the main population starts with them. We equip our students in the fitness sector with advanced science-based knowledge and tools to better assist their clients.”

The Health Sciences Academy’s mission goes beyond offering scientific content, practical training and recognised certifications. They also conduct their own proprietary research to understand various aspects of their students’ health, personal development, and how they are able to transform their wellbeing through education. By publishing this research, students are empowered to better their own health and to help others to do the same.

Alex Ruani, Research Director and Weight Loss Coach says: “Together with our students, we make our own science. They call us innovators and experimenters.”

Maurice Castelijn adds: “We’re improving people’s lives and health through our army of amazing graduates. We want them to do well whilst doing good.”

Alex Waud, a Fitness Instructor and Teacher, says: “What I like is that The Health Sciences Academy is dedicated to science-based courses of a similar realm of subject, rather than the vague ‘we provide 600 courses’ approach of other colleges. Such courses appear to cover thin and seeming irrelevant subject matters, whereas the Health Sciences Academy gives thorough yet ‘to the point’ information on all the essential components required to practise. The highlight for me is the professionally-designed science-based questionnaires and hand-outs to give to clients so the courses form a complete package for the practitioner. Exceptional.”

To help students support a larger number of clients whilst maximising their earnings, The Health Sciences Academy partnered with PlayEnable, an online booking platform that allows them to advertise their services at no cost to a readymade audience.

Abhishek Garodia, CEO of PlayEnable says: “The Health Sciences Academy courses offer tremendous value to anyone who aspires to be an instructor, a nutritionist or propel their career in the health, nutrition and fitness space. Our exclusive arrangement with The Health Sciences Academy means their professional graduates get their own website hosted by us, with instant online scheduling and payments, plus free business advice for 3 months to get more bookings. We even display their personal achievement badges earned with The Health Sciences Academy. PlayEnable is proud to be associated with such a fantastic organisation.”

- Ends -

Courses are available from £129 to £5,000 at www.thehealthsciencesacademy.org

For press review codes, competition prizes, scholarship details and interviews with Alex Ruani, Maurice Castelijn and course graduates please contact the Public Relations team at Fit PR.