I’m sharing a roundup of my favorite trusted health and fitness certifications if you’re considering becoming a wellness professional. Check out all the details below!
Hello friends! what are you doing I hope you are having an amazing week so far! Mine is PACKED with client calls and podcast interviews, but I’m looking forward to a long, relaxing Easter weekend with the family.
For today’s post, I wanted to talk a little about health and wellness certifications, especially now that I’m working on two new ones: High Performance Health and Integrative Health Professional Level 3.
I love to learn and over the past 17 years in the wellness industry I have completed several health and fitness certifications. I won’t recap them all again here (they’re all on the About page!), but I definitely have some favorites. 😉
I thought I’d share my top certification options if you’re thinking about expanding your knowledge in health and wellness, teaching fitness, or pursuing a new career.
Whether you want to coach clients, teach classes, dive into functional health, or simply deepen your knowledge, there are so many incredible programs out there.
Better health and fitness certifications
One of the biggest questions I have is: Where do I start?
The answer really depends on your goals.
Do you want to:
Work 1:1 with clients?
Do I teach fitness classes?
Start an online wellness business?
Or just learn more about you and your family?
I have divided it into a few categories to help you find the best fit.
Health Coach / Functional Medicine Certifications
If you want to help clients understand the root cause of health imbalances, functional lab testing is the BIGGEST game changer.
When you can run workshops, analyze them, and recommend appropriate protocols, it’s an incredible way to serve clients on a deeper level.
(Friendly reminder that we don’t diagnose, prescribe, treat or cure. We look for deficiencies and toxicities — and how we can support the body to return to balance.)
Institute of Integrative Health Practitioner (IHP).
This is by far my favorite certification.
I have completed Level 1 and Level 2 and am currently working on High Performance Health and Level 3. I am not exaggerating when I say that IHP it has completely changed my life.
It has enabled me to help clients with much greater ability, and I have also used the tests and protocols on myself and our family. It was a huge part of my own healing journey.
What I love most IHP:
It combines Eastern and Western approaches
You learn how to read and interpret functional laboratory tests
You are given clear protocols that you can actually implement
It is extremely practical and practical
If you’re interested in working with clients, running workshops, or really understanding root cause health, this is what I recommend over and over again.
You can check it here and use code FITNESSISTA for a huge discount.
Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist (FDNP)
I don’t personally hold this certification, but I have many friends who have completed it and gone on to build thriving online practices.
From what I understand, it is similar to IHP in that you learn how to be a “health detective” and see patterns within the body using functional labs.
The curriculum and testing options are quite similar and the goal is the same: to help clients get to the root cause of what they are experiencing rather than just managing the symptoms. You can see details here.
Nutrition Coach Certifications
Note that this is SO different from a Registered Dietitian.
Only a licensed RD can tell you exactly what to eat or prescribe a specific diet plan. A dietitian can provide guidance, education, macro support and balanced recommendations based on your goals, but cannot prescribe personalized medical nutrition therapy.
Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN)
I don’t hold that certification, but it is one I seriously considered.
One of the biggest perks is that you can specialize based on your interests, whether it’s a plant-based diet, Paleo, hormone health, or other nutritional approaches.
It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a broad, holistic introduction to health coaching and want flexibility in how you apply it.
Precision Nutrition
I completed Precision Nutrition a few years ago and thought the curriculum was very simple and practical.
What I liked the most:
Learning how to calculate macros based on individual goals
Understanding nutrient timing and feeding strategies
Dive deeper into specific goals like endurance training or fat loss
Coaching strategies and behavior change
This is a great choice if you want a strong foundation in nutrition training, especially if your focus is fitness, body composition or performance. You can learn more here.
Biohacking Certification
High Performance Health (HPH)
I am currently working through this certification and I love it.
It covers topics such as:
optimizing cardio capacity
brain health and cognitive function
advanced nutritional strategies
biohacking tools and stacks
taking an already healthy routine to the next level
This is a great option if you are already in the wellness space and want to delve deeper into optimization and performance. Learn more about HPH here.
Little blast from the past from the Zumba days. Bring it baaaack!
Fitness certifications
If you want to work in a gym, train clients, or teach classes, a fitness certification is essential.
NASM Personal Trainer
I have been a certified NASM personal trainer for many years and really appreciated how in-depth and scientific the curriculum is.
It covers:
anatomy and physiology
program design
injury prevention
customer rating
I also have to maintain my continuing education credits and CPR certification to stay current, which I think is so important.
This certification It really took my personal training to the next level.
AFAA Group Fitness
This is the group fitness certification I got years and years ago and is the one I would recommend if you are considering teaching group fitness.
It focuses on:
class structure
hints and guidance
security and modifications
creating an engaging experience
If you love the energy of group classes, this is a great place to start.
Fitness specialties
If you want to customize or expand your offerings, specialty certifications can be a great addition.
Some of what I have completed:
NASM Corrective Exercise
NASM Women’s Gymnastics Specialist
NASM Weight Loss Specialist
BODYPUMP
These allow you to:
work with specific populations
treating injuries or imbalances
create more customized programs
Yoga (RYT)
If you are interested in teaching yoga, the Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) certification is the standard.
Beyond the teaching, it is also an incredible personal growth experience that deepens your understanding of movement, breath and awareness. Your local yoga studio will likely offer 200-hour certification programs. Get certified in the studio you love!
Barre
Barre is a little different because there aren’t as many widely accepted universal certifications.
If you are interested in teaching barre, I recommend that you contact the specific studio where you want to teach. Many studios offer in-house training programs.
The best thing to do is take as many classes there as possible, as each studio tends to have its own unique method and style.
If I could give one piece of advice, it would be this:
Start with something that really excites you.
You don’t have to do everything at once. You don’t need 10 certifications to get started!
A certification can open the door and you can build from there.
For me, Continuing education has been one of the most rewarding parts of this career. It has allowed me to grow, develop and serve others in a much deeper way.
If you’re thinking of diving into the wellness space, I applaud you, and if you have any questions about these certifications, I’m always happy to help!
xo
