More gym owners and trainers are offering nutrition advice to their clients these days. It’s a smart way to increase your value to you customers, help them understand what’s involved in a healthy lifestyle outside the gym, and lengthen your relationships with them.
Nutrition coaching apps are a great way to do this. And if you’re not doing it yet, then take a few moments to read this blog post about why you might want to consider promoting apps like these to your clients.
You can do it by suggesting nutrition apps they can use on their own, or by packaging a nutrition app with the nutrition services you sell.
We’ll go over some reasons to do this, tips for you to keep in mind, and then offer three nutrition coaching apps that might meet your needs.
Why You Should Back Nutrition Coaching Apps
Providing a nutrition app for fitness clients can be helpful to the client and the business. Here are just a few reasons why.
Hand in Hand. Nutrition and exercise go together, and this is a powerful way to educate your clients about the relationship – how the right nutrition plan complements their fitness goals.
Better Results. Paying attention to what they eat will give your clients better results – whether they’re trying to lose fat, gain muscle, or improve performance. If you give them better results, they’ll stay with you longer, simple as that.
Accountability and Motivation. Some of the nutrition coaching apps are so simple and even fun to use. They let your clients plan and track meals, offer recipes, set reminders, and can connect to vast resources all in their hand.
Education and Awareness. Nutrition coaching apps often include educational content about healthy eating, portion sizes, and nutrient information, helping clients make more informed food choices in the grocery stores and restaurants.
See what other reasons you can come up with on your own. Talk to your staff and members.
Integration nutrition coaching apps into your offerings – as a mere recommendation or as an added component of your products – can be a powerful tool for you and your clients, alike.
What to Look For
There are SO MANY excellent nutrition coaching apps available. The most important questions for you are:
1. What do you want to do with them? Are you looking to make suggestions to your clients or package them in with other nutrition services you offer?
2. What are the goals of your clients? Do you serve a general population or a niche? Do you clients primarily come to you because they want huge muscles, to lose weight, or to just move, feel and look better?
These questions are so important because that incredible variety of apps lets you select a few that are right for you.
And if your avatar is a first-time mother trying to lose post-delivery weight, then you’re not going to offer the same training and nutrition advice that a bodybuilding gym would offer, right?
You’ll also want to consider pricing. Some apps are free; some of those are free only initially. Some apps have a monthly fee; Noom, for instance, is $70 each month.
Look for apps that are backed by healthcare, nutrition or fitness professionals or associations.
Finally, consider how user-friendly the nutrition coaching apps are. Most apps are, by now, good about this. But be careful you don’t choose something that could intimidate your clients so much that they don’t use the app.
3 Top Nutrition Coaching Apps
You might want to have a few apps in your arsenal, so you can choose the one that’s right for each client. Up to you, of course.
And these three, while recommended, are not necessarily our choices for The Universe’s Best Nutrition Coaching Apps.
We’re a little more humble than that!
But look at the features, prices, and appeal of each, and see how they might help your business needs.
1. Trainerize
This is a robust app built for gym owners and coaches who want a wide range of options based on service and their own number of clients.
Trainerize has fitness, nutrition, and “habit-coaching” features, plus in-app message, progress tracking and more to motive and inspire your clients.
It seeks to appeal to independent trainers; gyms and studios; and clubs and franchises, with a range of features and pricing, including a free version.
“Save time and offer a better client experience delivering nutrition coaching easier through meal photos, macro tracking, meal plans and daily habits—all, easy to track in one single app,” Trainerize says.
Atlanta trainer Mike Collins says, “Trainerize is convenient because it has everything in one – online fitness programs with nutrition goals and tracking. Clients can track workouts, log food, and meet daily goals on one program.”
Also worth a look are Fit Budd, Everfit. Like Trainerize, they’ll let you build your own customized branded app. That might be the ultimate way to use the power of an app to grow your own brand exactly how you want.
This is one of the most popular consumer nutrition coaching apps, with millions of users and rave reviews.
The app lets users track calories and macros. (Make sure you explain to them what macros are!) They can use a barcode scanner to download information immediately about the food they’re eating.
And it syncs with FitBit, Apple Fitness, and many other fitness apps.
“Studies show people who keep a food diary are more likely to hit their goals,” says Stephanie Nelson, MyFitnessPal Registered Dietitian, and she’s right.
“MyFitnessPal simplifies nutrition and calorie tracking, provides the data you want, and helps you make sense of it all. The more you track, the more empowered you’ll become to make healthy choices that support your goals.”
The free version counts calories and nutrients, and service options increase from there – like workouts, water, intermittent fasting, and steps.
“It’s like having a dietitian and trainer at your fingertips, for a fraction of the cost,” My Fitness Pal says about the premium version.
On this one and on My Macros, keto dieters or those who are counting carbs will like the “net carbs” feature, which adjusts for fiber and non-sugar sweeteners.
3. Fit Men Cook
More than a decade ago, Kevin Curry started a Tumblr blog to share meals online. He wanted to build a community around healthy food ideas and keep himself accountable and motivated.
His approach grew to a podcast, spices, and more. On his website, he shares four main points:
1. Food should be easy to prepare and affordable.
2. Food should be vibrant and tasty, never boring.
3. Preparing food in advance is important.
4. These steps help you achieve your fitness goals.
Curry provides recipes, shopping lists, meal plans and more. He refers to his “Fit Men Cook” community not as a dudes-only refuge; consider it jovial branding.
We’re also including it here because it’s a vibrant example of how nutrition coaching apps can be useful even when they are focused on a niche market or seem to be.
We’re not suggesting that men are a niche market. Just that this might inspire you to look for nutrition coaching apps that speak directly to your avatars.
Along those lines, here’s a taste (ha!) of what else is out there.
· Meal-planning app: Mealime
· Mindful eating app: Rise Up + Recover
· Nutrition education app: Noom
· Food allergy app: Spokin
· Pregnancy nutrition app: YoMingo
Conclusion
Integrating nutrition coaching apps into your offerings – whether as a simple recommendation or as part of a comprehensive package – can significantly enhance the value you provide to your clients.
It helps them achieve their goals more effectively, keeps them engaged, and sets your gym apart from the competition.
By staying up to date with the best nutrition apps available and understanding the unique needs of your clients, you can create a holistic fitness experience that supports their journey every step of the way.
So, explore these apps, find the right fit, and watch your clients thrive both inside and outside the gym.
For more tips about growing your business, download Naamly’s free guide “9 Secrets to Increase Retention.”