I am one of those folks who loved being in school. If you have been out working in the real world you know that school is actually not so bad! Even while I was in school I loved it. I did not like all of my courses, of course, but I loved the atmosphere of school, getting the books, hanging out in a library, even going to class, as long as they weren’t at 7:50 am. I even enjoyed law school. Well, I admit I did not enjoy my tax class and I didn’t actually do very well as far as grades are concerned, but the school part was pretty fun.
I’ve wanted to learn more about nutrition and the science behind food for the past few years. One of my goals has been to obtain some structured nutrition education. I considered going back to school for the nutrition degree. However, I think my parents would roll over and The Husband would kill me if I actually enrolled in college classes and came home with another tuition bill! For that reason I began researching online courses. I reached out to other bloggers I knew who had completed programs and a couple of acquaintances who were working after completing online programs. After looking around, stewing on it and himming and hawing around, last Spring I applied to the The Nutrition School, a program developed by Kerri Glassman.
I have followed Kerri for quite some time. She is a Registered Dietician and regular guest on the Today Show, Dr. Oz, a contributor to Women’s Health magazine, among others, has authored a couple of books and has her own counseling practice. She has created a great business in a relatable manner that I think motivates the public and clients. The Nutrition School is approved and accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). This means that once Certified, I can become Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition.
I chose this program for a few reasons. The main one is the philosophy behind Nutritious Life. The program really focuses on having a healthy relationship with food. Food is not the enemy and usually it is other factors that are causing a person to not have a healthy lifestyle. One of the key parts of the program is recognizing 8 Pillars of Nutrition. Sleep, stress, exercise, self care, loving relationships, hydration and environment all effect a person’s ability to have a healthy lifestyle. If you have been around this site for any time, you will recognize that these are all things I have touched on at some point or other. These all fall right in line with my personal food and health philosophy.
The beauty of the program, for me, was that I could take it as quickly or as slowly as needed. I might take only one week for one lesson and test, but another might take a little longer. Some of the material was more complicated in terms of the science so I could take a little longer to make sure I “got it” before testing and moving on. There is a very active Facebook group with an elite group of registered dietitians, fitness instructors, business owners, chefs, marketing gurus, etc., all of whom were participating in asking and answering questions. Live webinars and regular videos gave a ton of information. There is a large line up of knowledgeable folks that continue feeding alumns lessons so we can continue to grow and gain access to new ideas and programs as they evolve.
I felt this program was the best fit for me and for what I am doing now. I know I did not need to be a certified dietician or clinical nutritionist. My goal is not to work in a hospital, health care or similar facility or in that type of capacity. Since a healthy diet goes hand in hand with exercise, I wanted to be a resource for my clients. I wanted to feel better equipped to address the nutrition component of a healthy lifestyle. I now have more background to create meal plans, offer advice and tips to clients who have specific goals and want some help meeting those goals. Also, I tend to write about food and nutrition a good bit here. I wanted to be able to back up what I was sharing, learn more and have access to more information as it becomes relevant.
The Nutrition School was also in my budget. Let’s face it. I am a mom with three boys so you can imagine where any of my extra income goes! This was not too expensive to make it cost prohibitive if I was worried about recouping the tuition money by way of nutrition counseling. The last portion of the program focused on the business aspect and how to grow that business which was a great way to wrap everything and a perfect complement to the certification.
This course would be a great asset to anyone wanting more information on making healthy choices. It is not designed or limited to folks in the fitness or health world. You could be at the grocery story wondering if the grass fed beef is worth it, (um, yes), maybe you are a mom wanting to make sure your toddlers are starting off right for lifelong healthy habits, perhaps you are taking care of an older parent and want some guidance on dietary needs, you could wonder if you have inflammation in your body and want some help on diet choices to fight it, or you are wondering if your three a day Diet Coke habit is wreaking havoc on your body. (most definitely!) All would be answered during the different segments of this course.
I am pleased with the nutrition education in this program and glad I “put myself back in school”. It answered a lot of questions I had, introduced me to some new things in nutrition education and also supported a lot of my previous knowledge. Now I am looking forward to sharing even more good stuff here and looking at other ways to use the certification! If you are even a tiny bit interested it is worth taking a look at The Nutrition School.
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What have you been thinking or humming and hawing over? What goals are you on the brink of reaching? Do you love or hate the thought of going back to school?
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