Warrior Fit Boot Camp Fitness Fun!

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What’s good for the kitchen at Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and HomeGoods? Um, to sum it up briefly, a lot!

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I’m still riding the high of holding another Primal Health Coach Institute Masterclass event—this one in Miami Beach, July 27-29. A couple dozen Primal Health Coach Institute students, graduates, staff and I gathered to take a deep dive into ancestral health, coaching and business building (and paddle boarding!), and it was an incredibly inspiring experience.

If you’re not familiar, Primal Health Coach Institute is the first and preeminent ancestral health coaching school in existence. I co-founded the school with my business partner Aaron Fox a few years back with the vision to help 100 million people reclaim health and wellness through education and coaching. Our mission is to build a global network of well-trained coaches that deliver excellent health outcomes for clients. And I’m proud to say we’re doing just that.

We now have thousands of students that have passed through the program, and many of them are running successful businesses (see here, here, and here for starters). They’re helping others, making an impact, doing what they love, and making a living doing it. What’s better than that?

My enthusiasm for the school, the work we’re doing there, and the people involved grows every day. I believe that collectively we really can make a difference. So, if you’ve ever wished that you could make more of an impact and do more meaningful work, if you’ve ever desired to turn your passion for health and wellness into a purpose-driven vocation, or if you feel called to spread the Primal message to others because you personally know the life-transforming power that it has, I hope you’ll consider joining our program and tribe, and helping us fulfill the mission.

To learn more you can download the short guidebook How to Become a Health Coach: 5 Steps to Embarking on a Career You Love. Or join me and Master Coach Christine Hassler on an upcoming webinar by registering here.

The post Making a Difference Together: Our Masterclass—Miami Beach Style appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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I’ve had this one little Calphalon nonstick pan since college. In those early days, it was the perfect size for toasting garlic in olive oil to eat over spaghetti, my favorite budget meal. Now, I’m more likely to use it in the morning to fry an egg for one of my kids. And after more than a decade of use, it’s still mostly nonstick, although I can see some signs of wear — a few scratches from the occasional metal-edged utensil (whoops!), some chips along the edges from tossing it into the cabinet (whoops again!). We have some newer nonstick pans in our arsenal, but I still come back to this one most of the time.

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Take all your favorite components of Spanish paella, combine them with crowd-pleasing orzo pasta, and the result is a quick weeknight dinner the whole family will agree on. Fragrant chicken sausage joins forces with smoked paprika, sweet tomatoes, and lots of juicy shrimp to make a one-pan pasta that tastes familiar yet feels new. It’s a fast dinner that’s easy on the wallet, and is sure to find a permanent spot on your meal planning roster.

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Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites.

I’m coming in hot off the heels of a long weekend in Charleston, South Carolina, with my best friend who just spent the last eight months in France. And the most noticeably different thing about her isn’t her taste in wine, cheese, or charcuterie — it’s actually the fact that she recently converted to vegetarianism.

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“I wanna be a strong princess, like Wonder Woman!”

“I wanna be able to run really fast, like the Flash!”

“I wanna climb all the monkey bars like Tarzan! ”

“I should lose a few pounds off my love handles.”

One of these things is not like the others…

When we’re little kids, we swing from monkey bars and run up multiple flights of stairs and climb trees and chase imaginary bad guys and crawl through mud and we love every second of it.

We try new things because they seem fun (and nobody is telling us that we can’t). We never once think “oh I wonder if my body is capable of such a thing.” We just…DO. We fall down and pick ourselves back up and laugh it off and each day learn more and more about how we interact with the world around us. It’s awesome. And fun.

But then…over the next 15-20 years, life happens.

Schoolwork. A job. Chores. Bills. Mortgage. Responsibilities. Kids! Late nights at the office. More and more meals from a drive through window.

As our responsibilities (and the scale) goes higher and higher, we set our sights lower and lower:

• Instead of wanting to run fast like the Flash, we just want to not get winded going up the stairs.
• Instead of being strong like Wonder Woman, we just want to not be sore after don’t want our arms to hurt from carrying in the groceries.
• Instead of swinging like Tarzan, we avoid activities that are new because we don’t think we can, and we don’t want to look foolish.
• Instead of wanting to climb mountain or run a 5k, we instead set the goal of “winning a solo Fortnite battle” or getting more instagram followers because the first goal seems entirely unrealistic.

It’s no wonder our expectations continue to wither as we age: growing up can suck. Sure we had dreams and goals and hobbies as a kid, but now that we’re adults, our goal has been minimized into a single sentence:

“Lose weight and don’t hate what I see in the mirror.”

Brutal? Yup.

Honest? Yup.

And that’s okay.

Not liking what I saw in the mirror is why I started exercising, and the reason I started Nerd Fitness 10 years ago. After all, wanting to look better and feel better is a powerful motivator, and that usually involves weight loss.

All of these thoughts above sprung from a conversation I had recently with our head of Coaching, Lauren – who I’ve known for like 13 years and I was a bridesboy in her wedding, but that’s besides the point.

I asked her about success stories we’ve had from people who have been in our NF Coaching program for 6, 9, or 12+ months and actually kept the weight off, and I started to see a pattern:

They all set out to lose weight as an initial goal, and many of them DID lose weight.

But a recent study showed: “The chance of returning to a normal weight after becoming obese is only one in 210 for men and one in 124 for women over a year.” ^[1]

So what was different with these clients?

Why are they having success with losing weight and KEEPING it off!?

Although they all succeeded in their own unique way, they did have a common element to each of their origin stories:

It started weight weight loss, but as they started to lose the weight, they got back to trying new activities they could do and feel as a result of that weight loss:

Doing pull-ups.

Going on hikes.

Getting back to martial arts.

Dunking a basketball (video proof below)!

In other words, these people reclaimed a childhood sense of joy and wonder that comes from asking “what can I try to learn today?” and “what can I do today that I couldn’t do yesterday?”

And in many instances, they all had activities they thought they could NEVER do. And six months later, they had already done it and were setting even bigger goals!

Like a superpower laying dormant in somebody until they discovered they were were “the chosen one,” these people all discovered they had the power within them all along that just needed to be unlocked.

You’re damn straight I’m proud these people are all coaching clients of Nerd Fitness, but I don’t care if you ever spend a dollar with us.

Instead, I want you to learn from their stories and remind yourself WHY you’re here working hard to better yourself!

If you can shift your mentality from “when I lose the weight, then I’m done” to “I’ve been building this new body, what is it capable of? Let’s find out,” that’s how you find long term, permanently improved healthy success.

And that’s when you become a superhero.

Mark loses 50 pounds and Falls in love with Gymnastic Rings.

No, Mark isn’t levitating in that second photo, he’s jumping rope.

But damn that would be really cool if he discovered his hidden superpower was levitation.

In his words, here’s how Mark’s mentality shifted over the past 6 months and 50 pounds of weight loss:

“Success to me was just about losing weight when I started. I also wanted to get to a place where just standing wasn’t painful. I joined the Coaching program because I needed to be held accountable, to make sure I didn’t lose momentum and slip back into my bad habits.

Since I started losing weight (now down 50 pounds and showing no signs of slowing down), there are so many things I’m capable of now: Deadlifting over 200 lbs (90kg), farmer walks of 80 pounds (36kg), PUSH UPS!

I NEVER thought I would be so consistent in going to the gym and eating healthy food. I’m also really enjoying using the gymnastic rings in my workouts.

They add so much variety to workouts, which brings new challenges all the time and keeps things interesting.”

Narayan lost 50 pounds and Now crushes pull-ups

Narayan has overcome some mental hang-ups he’s had since a kid about both the gym and exercise. It only took 44 years, but it’s ALWAYS better late than never.

In his words, success to him started with weight loss: 

“I was really into the Nerd Fitness Academy and had great success with it, but I knew I needed something extra and additional 1-on-1 help to maintain my weight loss and get stronger.

I was thinking of hiring a trainer in my local area but I loved Nerd Fitness and wanted to stay active with that community. So I was really excited when I learned about the coaching program.

I have very vivid memories in grade school and on up of never being able to do a chin up.

I just sort of assumed it was something I was not capable of, like running a 4 minute mile.

And yet, after a few weeks in the Coaching program, I was able to do my first chin up with decent form.

It was exhilarating.

I was 49 years old and doing something I never thought I could do. When I got home from the gym that night I thought maybe I should keep working and try to do 5 chin ups in a row.

Coach Jim reviewed my videos of gave me some tips and was very encouraging.

Eventually I was able to do 5 chin ups in a row in 2 sets!”

And now Narayan LOVES the gym. How the HELL did that happen!?

“Another mental hurdle I overcame: I never imagined myself as a regular visitor to the gym. Ever.

I thought that was for other people who had the physiques of bodybuilders. Now I go 3 times week and it’s something I really look forward to.

I was invited this week to go out for Happy Hour but it was when I had planned on going to the gym so I declined the invite. I didn’t really reflect on it until the next morning when I realized that was something I never would have done just a few months ago.

There are definitely times where I am not feeling it but I go to workout anyway just because it is so ingrained. I have never left the gym regretting that I went.”

Heather earns her black belt And inspires her teenage sons.

When Heather started her hero’s journey, she wasn’t even sure what success looked like:

“I really liked the idea of being a person who makes good choices when nutritionally and rarely misses a gym day. And getting in shape would help with that.

I grew up here in the South and now I’m raising boys here: It’s pretty old fashioned in a lot of ways and gender roles are a few decades behind.

It’s important to me that my kids see women as strong and capable all by themselves and that women have every right to be where they damned well please: the weight room, or the office, or the home, or in the great outdoors.”

Like many superheroes, Heather has learned to embrace the great responsibility that comes with her great superpowers, inspiring those around her: 

“I get to be a role model to all the girls where I teach karate.

I’m the only female instructor at our location and I want those girls to see a grown woman who can be a black belt and be strong. It’s also a good lesson for mouthy teenaged boys from time to time. The best compliment ever was when one of my teenage boys said that he joins me at the gym because he wants to be strong like his mom.”

And she’s still uncovering more super powers every week:

“What superpowers have I discovered? Hitting a 200 lb. deadlift is up there. Chin up progress – it’s slower than I had hoped, but there was also a part of me that never thought I’d get this close.”

Oh, and she’s proven the adage “appearance is a consequence of fitness:”

“Here’s a interesting side effect I hadn’t even considered until it happened: buying a size Medium shirt AND wearing it in public without feeling self conscious.”

Chris lost 50+ pounds and can now dunk a basketball!

Chris came to the program with a vague goal of wanting to dunk a basketball but wasn’t quite sure how to get there. He was a big guy and moving around that much weight makes many bodyweight achievements difficult:

“When I joined coaching, success was achieving my specific goals that I was unable to achieve by myself (one chin-up, one pull-up, and dunk a basketball which I hadn’t been able to do since high school). If I could meet those goals, then I would consider coaching a success.”

As he started losing weight, his vague dreams became concrete realities:

“I am now capable of doing a chin-up and a pull-up. Honestly, I never thought I would reach it, even when I was a teenager I couldn’t do a chin-up or a pull-up. Now I can. I love that I can.

Oh, and now I can dunk a basketball:

As he lost the weight, Chris’s mentality changed about prioritizing his own development as a real life superhero:

“I love taking the time to work on myself. With having a wife, kids, family, work, etc. it’s hard to take the time to work on yourself. It is awesome to set personalized goals that I wanted and work with my coach to get there.”

Henry Completes a Tough Mudder Like a Badass

Henry started out wanting to actually enjoy the outdoors, something he didn’t do at all at the beginning:

“For me success was just the ability to be more active and have fun outside without getting too winded very easily. The goal was to obviously lose weight which I have done, and I’m comfortable with where I’m at right now.

I’m more active and far more knowledgeable about what I put in my body.”

He then discovered something interesting about himself through the journey:

“I never thought I would be capable of managing my diet so well in terms of what I ate, when I ate, and how much I ate.

I have a self discipline I never knew I had, especially when it comes to eating out and not giving in to every single craving.

What makes me so happy: Henry discovered a mental fortitude and confidence inside himself that that led to one of the most difficult obstacle races out there:

“I never ever thought I would be capable of doing an event such as the Tough Mudder but I did it and saying it was awesome is pretty much an understatement and now I want to do more OCRs. What a feeling!”

Sandra Summited Kilimanjaro

Sandra spent months building her new superhero physique and then set out to conquer one of the tallest mountains in the world, Kilimanjaro!

It started with overcoming some mental hurdles too:

“I had been working my way through the NF Academy bodyweight workouts for about 5 months. I was pretty consistent about doing the body weight work outs 3 days a week.

As for my goals, my expectations were low: I thought being able to do more than a couple of push ups with good form and not on my knees was great. My pie in the sky goal was an unassisted chin up.

The problem was that I was afraid to start REALLY strength training: I had a squat rack still in boxes in my garage for someday.  I wanted to learn to lift, eventually, but had no idea where to start. I had been in coaching for 6 months, gotten a lot stronger and more confident, before I actually told my coach about this! She helped me overcome that fear, finally build the rack, and get started.”

As she became more confident, she started setting her sights on a goal that still seemed far fetched but plausible: summiting Mount Kilimanjaro:

“I like to challenge myself to big things when I am in the mood to try to get myself out of whatever rut I invariably find myself when I take stock after going through weeks, months, years of default living. Years ago, I biked 100 miles, and ran a marathon.

Then life happened, and I was back to being VERY sedentary and just trying to get through the day.

Over my time with Nerd Fitness, Kilimanjaro became less and less “outrageous” and more “possible.” I believed I could do it because at the time I signed up I had been consistently training for a year I had seen myself become a lot stronger and I knew I could continue to be consistent.

I looked at the recommended training schedule and it was stuff that I could already do, just more of it. I also knew that my awesome coach (Staci!) would help me work it into the training I was already doing and it was a goal we could reach together.”

3 Lessons you Can Learn from These Real Life SuperHeroes.

#1 YOU’RE CAPABLE OF MORE THAN YOU REALIZE

Whatever got you here to Nerd Fitness and this article, GREAT!

Weight loss as a goal is a fantastic place to start.

Now, what’s going to help you succeed and stay successful is having a good reason why you’re doing all of this.

Every success story above features people who end up doing wayyyy more than they ever thought they could. From dunking basketballs to completing Tough Mudders and even climbing mountains.

Some of these goals were unexpected, or seemed so far off that they didn’t even seem realistic for the people above. But with each tiny victory, a small amount of confidence and momentum gets built.

And amazing things can happen.

I promise you, regardless of your thoughts on exercise or certain activities right NOW, if you can stick with this journey you will be capable of amazing things.

The weight loss is a goal, but it’s what you get to DO with your new body after the weight loss that will drive permanent progress.

#2 QUESTION YOUR ASSUMPTIONS

Narayan thought that gyms were just for bodybuilders and not people like him. Then he got over his insecurities, acknowledged how to make the gym work for him, and now says no to happy hours to make sure he doesn’t miss his workouts

Heather loves martial arts and is teaching young women that they can be strong badasses.

Mark fell in love with gymnastic rings and deadlifts.

When you build a frame that’s capable of anything, it gives you a chance to try everything!

You no longer have to say no due to your size or lack of fitness: you get to say “yes” and try new activities.

It’s time to question the long held beliefs you had as a kid about exercise. Or the self-imposed limitations you’ve put on yourself for the past decade.

Go back and reread the words of these super heroes. Every single one of them has a thing that they “never ever thought” they could do.

And 6 months later, they blew past that limitation and had to set new goals!

Once you start doing things you never thought you were capable of, this attitude becomes contagious and you start to question every other assumption in your life too.

#3 ENJOY YOUR HERO’S JOURNEY

Our goal with Nerd Fitness is to not help you lose weight as fast as possible.

Our goal is to get you healthy and happy in a sustainable way, and make sure you have fun along the way.

That’s the ONLY way this progress you make will stick.

I have no doubt every story above will succeed in the long term, because they have the right mentality: it’s about more than just a number on a scale for each of them.

These 6 superheroes know they don’t get to be done, and they never get to go back to how they used to live. And none of them would WANT to.

For the first time in a long time, they have come back to life.

Ben Franklin said it best: Most people die at 25, but aren’t buried until 75.

As the heroes above started to lose weight, they started exploring and asking the question “what am I capable of?” They picked activities that seemed challenging and exciting, not just because it would shred another pound of body fat.

Counterintuitively, by focusing on getting better at these activities, it actually helped them lose more weight and do so in a sustainable fashion. WIN.

Success looks different to every single person

You can’t get where you need to go if you don’t take that first step, so why not take your first step today?

• Make ONE healthier food decision (it’s 90% of the battle)
• Try our beginner bodyweight workout (you can do at home)
• Go for a walk. Just 10 minutes. Right now.

I’m proud to be able to share these stories, because they show you can be any size, be any age, fall in love with any type of activity, and become a superhero in a way that brings you to life.

Every superhero has a different superpower, and that’s what makes them interesting. They also have insecurities and flaws and obstacles to overcome, and that’s what makes them relatable.

Above, we have 6 real life superheroes from all walks of life, who have found a path to their own superpower that fits THEIR life.

Some people love the gym, while others will never set foot in one. That’s great.

We’re all on a journey, just like the six people above, and we are all writing our own story. OWN IT.

Yes, I’m proud to share that these are stories from our 1-on-1 coaching program, but they’re also people who live and breathe the Nerd Fitness lifestyle:

• Having fun.
• Developing functional strength.
• Trying and finding new activities.

I know how tough it is to figure this stuff out on your own (I’ve actually had my own online coach for the past 4 years!), and it’s tough trying to figure out which activities to try (or how to start!).

That’s where a coaching program can really come in handy.

We speak on the phone with every potential client to learn their story and make sure we’re a great fit for each other, and you can schedule your call by clicking on the image below!

Regardless of whether or not you check out the program, I want Nerd Fitness to be the community that helps you realize:

• You’re capable of more than you realize.
• Trying new things is amazing.
• If you don’t get to be done, you gotta enjoy the journey.

I’d love to hear from you below:

What’s something you currently think you’d NEVER be able to do, but it would be cool if you could?

What does success mean for you BESIDES just weight loss?

I can’t wait to hear your answers!

-Steve

PS: I remember talking to Narayan (the 2nd story above) back in January when he called to learn about the Coaching Program. It was really fun to hear his story and it makes me so damn happy to be able to share his story in this article.

If you’re looking to build your own hero’s journey, want to learn how to become a real life superhero, I’d be honored if you scheduled a free call with us to see if our coaching program is a good fit to help you reach those goals!

###

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Confession: I’ve been known to improvise with my skincare and toiletries. Sometimes, when visiting friends or family, I don’t pack any face cleanser or lotion. Instead, I sneak into their kitchen to grab a few drops of olive oil or coconut oil to remove my makeup and moisturize my skin before bed. While pretty much […]

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When working with pregnant and postpartum clients, remember that you are just one member of their healthcare team.

Your clients will be working with several health professionals throughout their pre- and postnatal experience including some or all of the following:

• General practitioner
• Obstetrician-Gynecologist
• Midwife
• Pelvic health physiotherapist
• Doula
• Registered dietitian
• Mental health professional
• Chiropractor
• Massage therapist
• Acupuncturist
• Urologist or urogynecologist

However, you’re in a unique position that allows you to spend a lot of time working with your clients, educating them about their bodies during the prenatal and postpartum periods.

Because you will likely spend more time with a client than any other member of her healthcare team, you will have many opportunities to ask how things are going, how she’s feeling, and how certain exercises make her body feel. You may be the first to hear about any pain, discomfort, or unusual symptoms. As her coach it’s important that you understand what is within and beyond your scope of practice, and to whom you could refer her for additional help.

You can ensure your pre- and postnatal clients get the best care possible by working closely with other members of their team and recommending they work with particular healthcare professionals if they are not already doing so.

Let’s take a closer look at the professionals who may be part of your client’s healthcare team.

Prenatal Care Providers

Your pregnant client will be seeing one or more of the following prenatal care providers, and it’s important for you to know what credentials and education each provider has, their role, and their scope of practice. In most cases, which provider your client works with is largely up to her. She may choose to see her family doctor for as long as possible, or she may begin a relationship with an OB-GYN, certified midwife, or nurse practitioner immediately.

Your client typically has the following options when deciding on a prenatal care provider:

• General practitioner or family physician
• Nurse practitioner
• Obstetrician-Gynecologist (OB-GYN)
• Midwife

General Practitioner

Most women see a general practitioner (GP) or family doctor for their general health concerns. Of the three medical practitioners involved in childbirth (GP, OB-GYN, and midwife), your client is probably most familiar with the GP. However, many GPs in the U.S. don’t provide pregnancy, labor, and delivery services. If that’s the case, your client may choose to switch to another medical doctor specializing in pregnancy or childbirth.

Obstetrician Gynecologist

A obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) specializes in female reproductive health organs and has completed four to five years of additional medical training in this specialty after obtaining their medical degree. An OB-GYN normally handles high-risk births and is trained to perform C-section births. The majority of women in the U.S. see this practitioner throughout their pregnancy. A perinatal specialist is an OB-GYN who specializes in high-risk pregnancies; they typically deal with more complicated issues, may often act as a consultant, and may also be present during childbirth.

Midwife

A midwife is a specialist in childbirth, postpartum, and well-woman healthcare services such as annual screenings, labs, and immunizations. If a pregnant woman requires care beyond the midwife’s scope of practice, the midwife will refer her to an OB-GYN, or a perinatologist if she has pregnancy-related complications.

There are several certifying bodies in the U.S., but the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) is considered the gold standard. Within the AMCB, there are two types of midwives: a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) and a certified midwife (CM).

Certified nurse-midwives provide initial and ongoing comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. CNMs perform physical examinations. They can also prescribe medications and contraceptives. They can admit and discharge patients as well as order and interpret laboratory and diagnostic tests. Medicaid reimbursement for CNMs is mandatory in all states, and most states mandate private insurance reimbursement. Your client will need to contact her insurance provider to determine what coverage she receives.

CNM services include:

• Primary care
• Gynecologic and family planning services
• Preconception care
• Care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period
• Care of a healthy newborn during the first 28 days of life
• Treatment of male partners for sexually transmitted infections

To find a licenced midwife in the U.S., your client can go to the American College of Nurse Midwives website where she can search for a midwife. In Canada, she can search the Canadian Association of Midwives. In the U.K., midwives are often provided by the National Health Service, however there are independent midwife organizations such as Independent Midwives UK. In Australia, midwives are often provided as part of the national healthcare system.

Pelvic Health Physiotherapist

In addition to her prenatal care provider, your client may also be working with a pelvic health physiotherapist during and after her pregnancy. During pregnancy, a pelvic health physiotherapist can assist with any musculoskeletal pain, provide manual therapy and therapeutic exercise, review labor and delivery positions, work on breathing, and assess her pelvic floor for optimal function and support.

In the postpartum phase the physiotherapist will be able to assess your client’s pelvic floor muscles vaginally and rectally to identify any dysfunction such as incontinence (urinary or fecal), pelvic organ prolapse (POP), diastasis recti, or pelvic pain. They can also review any musculoskeletal dysfunction present such as neck or low back pain, pelvic girdle pain due to sacroiliac joint dysfunction or pubic symphysis dysfunction, hip pain, and tailbone pain.

We highly recommend that your pregnant and postpartum clients work with a pelvic health physiotherapist if they are not already doing so. Their input is important since they are the ones educated and qualified in screening for and identifying a number of symptoms of conditions that even doctors are not aware of.

Other Professionals Who May Be Involved in Pre- and Postnatal Care

If you’re referring your client to any of the following professionals, and the client wants to use insurance, make sure she understands that she may first need to obtain a referral from a doctor, and some office visits and treatments may not be covered by insurance at all. Advise her to check her coverage and referral requirements for the specific practitioner or service before making an appointment.

Doula or Birthing Coach

A doula, also known as a birth companion or post-birth supporter, is a non-medical assistant who helps women before, during, and after childbirth as needed. Doulas provide physical and emotional support to the entire family, not just the mother and newborn infant. Research suggests that a doula’s support during labor and childbirth often results in less need for pain relief and improved maternal and fetal health. They may offer ongoing support to a family for several years.

A doula’s role can include helping educate the mother on her choices for birth (like opting between a birthing center or hospital, a water birth or home birth, epidural or not, etc.), helping define baseline goals (i.e., “it is important to me that my baby be given to me immediately for skin-to-skin contact”), in-the-moment coaching for the partner or loved one in how to support and assist the laboring mother, employing techniques for pain relief and stress management, guiding the birthing woman to advocate for herself, offering support and guidance for establishing lactation, etc.

Mental Health Professional

Clinical psychologists and psychiatrists are who most people think of as mental health professionals, but many other professionals provide therapy or counseling including: clinical social workers, therapists, nurse psychotherapists, counselors (licensed professional counselors, mental health counselors, certified alcohol and drug abuse counselors, and pastoral counselors).

Your client may find it helpful to work with one of these mental health professionals. Generally only psychiatrists can prescribe medications, though in some locations psychologists can also prescribe medication.

Registered Dietitian or Nutritionist

A registered dietitian is a nutritionist (though one can be a nutritionist without being a registered dietitian). Both registered dietitians and nutritionists can provide your client with helpful nutrition information, but by law only registered dietitians (called RD or RDN) can provide medical nutritional therapy.

Chiropractor

Graduates of chiropractic schools receive the degree Doctor of Chiropractic (DC). Chiropractors treat issues with the musculoskeletal system using mainly manual therapy or manipulation therapy of the joints (primarily the spine).

Massage Therapist

Registered or licensed massage therapists work on soft tissues in the body (muscle, fascia, tendons, and ligaments) by stroking, kneading, or applying pressure to improve function. There are many different kinds of therapeutic massage treatments.

Acupuncturist

Acupuncturists are trained in a form of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) called acupuncture, a system of complementary medicine that involves pricking the skin or tissues with needles. It’s commonly used to alleviate pain and to treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions.

Anecdotally, many pregnant women have reported decreased nausea, pain, anxiety, and fatigue when receiving regular acupuncture treatments. That said, while a 2014 systematic review of acupuncture during pregnancy shows that it is very safe when correctly performed, the review doesn’t discuss any direct benefits.

If your client decides to try acupuncture, strongly encourage her to work with an acupuncturist who is licensed (requirements vary depending on the geographical location) and has experience working with pregnant women. She should make sure the practitioner knows she is pregnant.

To Whom Should You Refer Your Client?

If you’re not sure who is on a client’s prenatal healthcare team, it may be best to first refer her to her primary prenatal healthcare provider. The following guidelines can help you determine when a client’s symptoms warrant a referral and to whom you should refer them.

Pelvic Girdle Pain During Exercise

Within your scope: No.

What you should do: Provide modifications or variations for that exercise. If there is no relief, refer.

To whom should client be referred: Pelvic health physiotherapist or musculoskeletal physiotherapist experienced with pregnancy-related issues.

Who should refer the client: In many areas, you can refer your client directly to a trusted physiotherapist in your referral network. However, their services may or may not be covered by insurance without a doctor’s referral.

Leaking Urine During Exercise

Within your scope: No.

What you should do: Provide modifications or variations for that exercise so that leaking does not occur. Avoid any movement or exercise that cause incontinence. The fact that leaking occurs at all is reason enough to believe there is some degree of pelvic floor dysfunction and thus, refer.

To whom should client be referred: Urogynecologist or pelvic health physiotherapist.

Who should refer the client: In most cases, you can refer your client directly to a trusted pelvic health physiotherapist in your referral network. In some cases, a doctor’s referral may be required. Referrals to urogynecologist must be made by hospital-based physicians, family practitioners, or specialists.

Muscle Tension

Within your scope: Not unless you are licensed to perform soft tissue work.

What you should do: Teach your client how to do self-administered soft tissue work such as foam rolling and using a stick or lacrosse ball. If this doesn’t relieve tension, refer.

To whom should client be referred: Massage therapist.

Who should refer the client: You can refer your client directly to a trusted massage therapist in  your referral network. Some massage therapist accept insurance. Advise your client to find out if she will need a doctor’s referral for massage in order to have it covered by her insurance.

Depression or Mood Swings

Within your scope: Not unless you are licensed to perform soft tissue work.

What you should do: If your client seems to exhibit depression or mood swings for longer than two weeks, or if she reports irritability, a change in appetite, or changes in her sleeping patterns, you should ask her how she’s feeling and encourage her to seek help from a professional.

To whom should client be referred: Mental health professional. Advise your client to also mention these symptoms to her primary care physician or seek help from an integrative medicine doctor who specializes in thyroid disease. Thyroid dysfunction or postpartum thyroiditis can contribute to anxiety or depression, and the client may need to start medication or have her dose adjusted during or after pregnancy.

Who should refer the client: In most cases, you can refer your client directly to a trusted mental health professional in your referral network who specializes in issues related to pregnancy and postpartum. In some cases, a doctor’s referral may be required. However, unless you have a great relationship with a mental health professional who specializes in these issues, it’s probably best to that your client obtain a referral from her OB-GYN, who can screen for mental health concerns and refer to a mental health professional specializing in mental health issues related to pregnancy and postpartum if necessary.

Gestational Diabetes

Within your scope: Not unless you’re an exercise physiologist.

What you should do: Ask if the doctor who diagnosed her referred her to a professional to manage the condition.

To whom should client be referred: Registered dietitian, exercise physiologist with a master’s or doctoral-level degree, or a licensed healthcare professional with graduate training in exercise physiology.

Who should refer the client: If the doctor who diagnosed her hasn’t referred her to a registered dietitian, you can suggest she ask for a referral. Her doctor should also be able to refer her to an exercise physiologist.

Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Within your scope: Not unless you’re an exercise physiologist.

What you should do: Modify programming and make sure your client is breathing properly to avoid excess intra-abdominal pressure (the valsalva maneuver). You can work in collaboration with a pelvic health physiotherapist for modifications if needed.

To whom should client be referred: Pelvic health physiotherapist.

Who should refer the client: In most cases, you can refer your client to a trusted pelvic health physiotherapist in your referral network. In some cases a doctor’s referral may be required.

Musculoskeletal Concerns and Injuries

These may include neck pain and headaches, upper back or rib pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, low back pain or pelvic girdle pain (SI joints or pubic symphysis dysfunction), and hip pain.

Within your scope: Not unless you’re an exercise physiologist.

What you should do: Modify programming as needed.

To whom should client be referred: Musculoskeletal physiotherapist experienced with pregnancy-related issues, or pelvic health physiotherapist.

Who should refer the client: In most cases, you can refer your client directly to a trusted nurse practitioner, gynecologist, physical therapist, or primary healthcare provider in your referral network who may then refer her to a physical therapist.

In the end, having an extensive and varied network of trusted wellness professionals not only helps your clients get the complete care they need, but also places you as a responsible and serious professional with connections and an extensive network; this increases your credibility and value as a fitness pro, and the learning opportunities that will come from working hand-in-hand with other health professionals will positively impact your practices and business in ways that will surprise you.

References

Hodnett ED, Gates S, Hofmeyr GJ, Sakala C. Continuous support for women during childbirth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Oct 17;10:CD003766.

Park J, Sohn Y, White AR, Lee H. The safety of acupuncture during pregnancy: a systematic review. Acupunct Med. 2014 Jun;32(3):257–66.

Types of Mental Health Professionals. Mental Health America. 2013 [cited 2017 Jun 30]. http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/types-mental-health-professionals

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