If you’re thinking about becoming a wellness professional, here’s a roundup of my favorite health and fitness certifications. Check out all the details below!
Hello friends! How are you doing? I hope you’re having a great 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.
In today’s post I wanted to talk a little about health and wellness certifications, especially now that I’m working my way through two new ones: High Performance Health and Integrative Health Practitioner Level 3.
I LOVE learning and over the last 17 years in the wellness industry I have completed several health and fitness certifications. I won’t recap them all here (they’re all on the About page!), but I definitely have some favorites. đ
I thought I would share with you my top certification options if you are considering expanding your knowledge in the health and wellness field, teaching fitness, or pursuing a new career.
Whether you want to coach clients, teach classes, delve into functional health, or simply advance your own knowledge, there are so many incredible programs out there.
Best Health and Fitness Certifications
One of the biggest questions I get is: Where do I even start?
The answer really depends on your goals.
Would you like:
Work 1:1 with customers?
Teaching fitness classes?
Building an online wellness business?
Or simply find out more for yourself and your family?
I’ve broken this down into a few categories to help you find the best solution.
Health Coach/Functional Practitioner Certifications
If you want to help clients find the root cause of health imbalances, functional lab testing is the BIGGEST game changer.
If you can run labs, analyze them, and recommend appropriate protocols, it’s an incredible opportunity to serve clients on a deeper level.
(Friendly reminder that we do not diagnose, prescribe, cure or treat. We look for deficiencies and toxicities – and how we can help the body return to balance.)
Institute of Integrative Health Practitioners (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 has completely changed my life.
This has allowed me to help clients in a much more comprehensive way and I have also applied the tests and protocols to myself and our family. It was a huge part of my own healing journey.
What I love most about IHP:
It combines Eastern and Western approaches
You will learn to read and interpret functional laboratory tests
You get clear protocols that you can actually implement
It is extremely practical and implementable
If you are interested in working with clients, running labs, or truly understanding the causes of health, I highly recommend this book.
You can check it out here and get a big discount with the code FITNESSISTA.
Functional Nutritional Diagnostician (FDNP)
I personally don’t hold this certification, but I have many friends who have completed it and built successful online practices.
From what I understand, it is similar to IHP in that you learn how to become a âhealth detectiveâ and use functional labs to study patterns in the body.
The curriculum and testing options are fairly similar, and the goal is the same: helping clients find the root cause of what they are experiencing rather than just treating the symptoms. You can read details here.
Nutrition Coach Certifications
Please note that this is very different from a registered dietitian.
Only a licensed RD can tell you exactly what to eat or prescribe a specific diet plan. A nutrition coach can provide guidance, education, macro support and balanced recommendations based on your goals, but cannot prescribe individual medical nutrition therapy.
Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN)
I don’t have this certification, but I’ve seriously thought about it.
One of the biggest benefits is that you can specialize based on your interests, be it plant-based nutrition, paleo, hormonal health, or other nutritional approaches.
It’s a great option if you’re looking for a comprehensive, holistic introduction to health coaching and want flexibility in how you use it.
Precision nutrition
I completed Precision Nutrition a few years ago and found the curriculum very easy and practical.
What I liked most:
Learn to calculate macros based on individual goals
Understand nutrient timing and energy supply strategies
Dive deeper into specific goals like endurance training or fat loss
Coaching strategies and behavior change
This is a great option if you want a solid foundation in nutrition coaching, especially if your focus is fitness, body composition, or performance. Find out more here.
Biohacking certification
High Performance Health (HPH)
I am currently working on this certification and LOVE it.
It covers topics such as:
Optimizing cardio capacity
Brain health and cognitive function
Advanced Nutrition Strategies
Biohacking tools and stacks
Take an already healthy routine to the next level
This is a great option if you’re already in the wellness space and want to go deeper into optimization and performance. Find out more about HPH here.
A little insight into the Zumba days of the past. Bring it baaaack!
Fitness Certifications
If you want to work in a gym, train clients, or teach classes, a fitness certificate is essential.
NASM Personal Trainer
I have been a NASM certified personal trainer for many years and have really appreciated the depth and scientific basis of the curriculum.
It includes:
Anatomy and Physiology
Program design
Injury prevention
Customer review
I also need to have continuing education credits and CPR certification to stay current, which I think is very important.
This certification has truly taken my personal training to the next level.
AFAA Group Fitness
This is the group fitness certification I received many years ago and I would recommend it if you are thinking about teaching group fitness.
It focuses on:
Class structure
Advice and coaching
Security and Modifications
to create an engaging experience
If you love the energy of group classes, this is a great place to start.
Fitness specialties
If you’re looking to explore or expand your niche offerings, specialty certifications can be a great addition.
Some of them that I have completed:
NASM correction exercise
NASM Women’s Fitness Specialist
NASM weight loss specialist
BODY PUMP
With this you can:
work with specific population groups
Treating injuries or imbalances
Create more customized programs
Yoga (RYT)
If you are interested in teaching yoga, a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) certification is the standard.
Beyond teaching, it is also an incredible personal development experience that deepens your understanding of movement, breathing and mindfulness. Your local yoga studio will likely offer 200-hour certification programs. Get certified at the studio you love!
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Barre is a little different in that there aren’t as many widely recognized universal certifications.
If you are interested in teaching Barre, I recommend contacting the specific studio you would like to teach at. Many studios offer in-house training programs.
The best thing you can do is take as many classes there as possible as each studio has its own 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 go from there.
For me, Continuing education has been one of the most rewarding parts of this career. This has allowed me to grow, develop and serve others in a much deeper way.
If you’re thinking about diving into the wellness field, I’m cheering you on, and if you have any questions about these certifications, I’m always happy to help!
xo
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