A fitness credential is recommended but is not required for the Wellness Coach Certification.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Wellness
Explore the meaning of wellness and the relationship between its various components, as well as the role of the wellness coach and their defined scope of practice.

Chapter 2: Scientific Principles
This section introduces the importance of evidence-based practices, the scientific method and basic scientific principles and methodology. Evaluate sources of information for credibility, reliability and validity and connect these to safe and effective strategies for clients.

Chapter 3: Foundational Coaching Concepts
Explore the role of coaching, relevant brain science, the various components of self-efficacy and behavior modification strategies as it relates to coaching and wellness.

Chapter 4: Rapport and Communication
Read about specific techniques to put clients at the center of the conversation and how building rapport is the core of a successful coach client relationship.

• • 4 Infographics

• • 10 Videos

• • 4 Knowledge Checks

Chapter 5: Introduction to Movement for Wellness
Explore ways to assess your client’s past, current and ideal future relationship with movement as it relates to wellness.

Chapter 6: Movement for Physical Health
Review the various physical benefits of movement and exercise and discuss how these benefits align and support client’s goals and needs.

Chapter 7: Physical Recovery and Regeneration
This section introduces the concept of physical recovery, what it is, how it’s facilitated, the tools available to facilitate it and the relationship between physical intensity and appropriate recovery time.

Chapter 8: Movement for Mental and Emotional Wellbeing
Read about the motivations and direct benefits of movement and exercise on mental and emotional wellbeing.

Chapter 9: Coaching Movement for Wellness
This section looks at client’s obstacles and barriers as it relates to movement and explores the most effective strategies and goals in establishing and maintaining a purposeful movement program.

• • 4 Infographics

• • 20 Videos

• • 5 Knowledge Checks

• • 4 Printable Handouts

Chapter 10: Introduction to Brain Health
This section introduces what brain health and psychological wellness are, the role they play in wellness, individual differences in brain health and psychological wellness and when a coach will need to refer a client out to another professional.

Chapter 11: Emotion Processing
Explore how emotions are processed in the brain, the involved brain anatomy, how body signals influence emotion processing and some of the emotion regulation strategies.

Chapter 12: Stress
This section introduces the different types of stress, how stress is processed in the brain and the different pathways of stress and their products. This section will also look at the relationship between stress and brain processes and different factors that can influence stress response.

Chapter 13: Cognitive Processing and Performance
This section looks at how the brain learns and remembers, how learning and memory are influenced by body states and attentional demand and how pain and stress influence cognitive processes.

Chapter 14: Sleep
This section discusses sleep as basic hygiene, sleeps role in recovery and regeneration, sleep stages and architecture and sleep chronotypes. In addition, this section will look at the importance of the different sleep pillars, the differentiating roles of NREM and REM sleep and factors that either impair or promote sleep.

Chapter 15: Psychological Recovery
This section will introduce the concept of psychological recovery within the scope of a wellness coach, look at the relationship between one’s cognitive state and physical state and discuss appropriate methods for facilitating psychological recovery.

Chapter 16: Social Wellness
This section discusses the relationship between social interaction, the brain and wellness including, loneliness, social evaluation, social buffering and social media. This section will also explore how humans process empathy, prejudice, attachment, and trust.

Chapter 17: Coaching the Brain
Explore the concepts of homeostasis and allostasis as it relates to wellness coaching and discuss how concepts such as empathy, trust, effective praise, social buffering, and social evaluation can be applied in coach-client relationships. This section will also discuss stress reduction strategies, methods for improving sleep, the role of exercise in brain health and psychological wellness and coaching techniques for influencing cognition and mindset.

• • 10 Infographics

• • 24 Videos

• • 8 Knowledge Checks

• • 4 Printable Handouts

Chapter 18: Introduction to Nutrition
This section covers the role nutrition plays in wellness, what a healthy dietary pattern is, and the difference between eating for wellness, performance and weight loss all within the scope of practice for wellness coaches.

Chapter 19: Nutrition Basics
This section covers the role of hydration, macronutrients and micronutrients in overall health, how energy balance influences body composition and health, the role exercise plays in nutrient needs and how alcohol consumption influences overall health.

Chapter 20: Healthy Dietary Patterns
This section covers general recommendations for macro and micronutrient consumption, the role culture, dietary restrictions and food preferences has on overall dietary choices and what common characteristics make up a healthy dietary pattern.

Chapter 21: Nutrition Myths and Misconceptions
This section covers fad diets and diet myths and how to identify them, why fad diets, supplementation, and products are ineffective and potentially harmful, and how to effectively address client questions and diet misconceptions.

Chapter 22: Influence of Diet on Long-Term Health
Explore the role of diet in chronic disease risk, how diet may influence the microbiome and chronic inflammation and the benefits of diet beyond its nutritive value.

Chapter 23: Acute Effects of Diet
This section covers digestive responses to different nutrients, the influence of nutrients on satiety and satiation and the effects of different exercise on the body during and post exercise.

Chapter 24: Dietary Strategies for Health
Explore habits and behaviors that influence health, the differences between a flexible and rigid dietary pattern, the rationale for weight-neutral interventions and the effects of meal timing in health including different fasting protocols.

Chapter 25: Dietary Strategies for Weight Loss
This section looks at the influence on weight loss to health, the relationship between energy balance and body mass, healthy dietary strategies to facilitate weight loss and factors that may determine the maintenance of weight loss.

Chapter 26: Supplementation
This section looks at the role of supplementation to a healthy diet, when it’s appropriate and how to determine the efficacy and safety of supplements.

Chapter 27: Nutrition Coaching
This section looks at general dietary and supplementation strategies based off efficacy and safety, how to prioritize strategies within the context of client goals and health, how to implement these strategies through inclusive language around nutrition, body composition, awareness of client limitations and opportunities, and how to monitor clients progress and make necessary adjustments.

• • 12 Infographics

• • 18 Videos

• • 10 Knowledge Checks

• • 3 Printable Handouts

Chapter 28: Becoming a Wellness Coach
This section looks at the benefits of wellness coaching, key characteristics of effective coaching, the mindset of coaches and personal experiences with wellness coaching.

Chapter 29: Wellness Coaching Theory
This section looks at self-efficacy and its factors, self-determination theory and its role in coaching, shame resilience theory and how to address and work with shame, and how these theories intersect.

Chapter 30: Tools in Practice
This section explores motivational interviewing and its role in wellness coaching, the anatomy of a goal and how to effectively set goals, and tools for assessment and application for client goals, desired behaviors or needs.

Chapter 31: Self-Awareness as a Coach
This section looks at coach self-awareness by evaluating personal biases, developing a unique coaching philosophy highlighting coach strengths, skills and experience and how to look for mentorship or additional opportunities for support and guidance.

Chapter 32: Session Readiness
This section looks at the structure of a coaching session, the importance of consistency in coaching, how time management builds trust in a coaching session and ethical standards for coach client engagement.

Chapter 33: New Client Intake and Creating a Wellness Plan
This section looks at intake processes for both new and ongoing sessions and tools and approaches to create a wellness plan aligned to goals or desired behaviors.

Chapter 34: Facilitating Ongoing Sessions
This section looks at the importance of monitoring in coaching sessions, tools to support monitoring, considerations for when a wellness plan needs change and approaches to working with challenging clients and addressing shifts in client needs.

Chapter 35: Closing out the Plan
This section discusses when a goal or phase of coaching is complete and how to close out that phase or end the coaching relationship.

• • 4 Infographics

• • 28 Videos

• • 8 Knowledge Checks

• • 36 Printable Handouts

After the completion of the course, you will take an online final exam from the comfort of your own home, or wherever you prefer to take tests. The test consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. The exam is timed and cannot exceed 120 minutes. To pass, you need a score of 70% or higher. You will have 3 attempts to pass, and additional retests can be purchased by calling Member Services at 1-800-460-6276 option 2.

There are no prerequisites for the Nutrition Certification. But we always encourage preparing for a career in nutrition by familiarizing yourself with the many nutrition courses NASM has to offer.

Chapter 1: Introduction
Learn about the role of a Nutrition Coach and how the NASM Nutrition Certification can help enhance your career.

Chapter 2: Scope of Practice
Understand a Nutrition Coach's scope of practice, professional expectations, and differentiate among related nutrition professions.

Chapter 3: Evidence-Based Nutrition and Practice
In this chapter, you'll learn the importance of evidence-based practice as a nutrition specialist, the difference between basic scientific principles and methodology, and how to define scientific research processes.

Chapter 4: Food Preference and Influences
Understand the effects of nutritional intake on individual health, identify the role of dietary habits in overall health, and describe factors that influence dietary patterns. You'll also be able to recognize the dangers of a one-diet-fits-all approach and identify how different factors can influence eating patterns.

Chapter 5: Energy Balance and Metabolism
This chapter explores how macronutrients fuel activity and bodily functions, as well as how to balance the energy in versus energy out equation. You'll understand the First Law of Thermodynamics, energy balance, and energy systems.

Chapter 6: Protein
Protein is an important macronutrient that many bodily functions depend on. Learn the structure and function of protein, total daily protein requirements, and methods for establishing protein requirements in a dietary program.

Chapter 7: Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide energy for the body. Understand their structure and function, the digestion and absorption process, daily carbohydrate requirements, and more.

Chapter 8: Fats
Dietary fat has many important functions. In this chapter, you'll learn about the function and intake recommendations, healthy versus unhealthy fats, as well as key myths and hot topics related to fat.

Chapter 9: Alcohol
This chapter explains the digestion and absorption process of alcohol, as well as the physiological effects and methods for accommodating alcohol in a dietary program.

Chapter 10: Micronutrients
Micronutrients help maintain the metabolic processes required to produce energy. Understand the difference between water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals, identify common food sources, and learn to calculate daily recommended intakes and the values for each micronutrient.

Chapter 11: Hydration
In this chapter, you'll learn the compartmental aspects and shifts of water in the body following significant sweat losses. You'll also discover methods to help decrease excessive hypo- or hyper-hydration and learn about proper hydration strategies.

Chapter 12: Nutrient Timing
Discover appropriate nutrient-timing strategies for performance and for altering body composition, as well as the role that nutrient timing plays within an overall nutrition strategy.

Chapter 13: Supplements
Understand the role of supplementation across various goals, explain the strength of the evidence base for commonly used supplements, and learn to communicate with clients about the pros and cons of supplementation.

• • 110 Infographics

• • 14 Videos

• • 53 Knowledge Checks

• • 1 Printable Handout

Chapter 14: Psychology of Weight Control and Behavior Change
In this chapter, you'll learn how psychology affects fitness and wellness. Identify barriers to diet and exercise, common eating disorders, and common client types used to develop customized programs.

Chapter 15: Coaching and Communication
It's important for Personal Nutrition Coaches to communicate in a way that positively influences adherence to their programs. You'll identify strategies for building rapport and use effective communication skills to elicit behavior change.

Chapter 16: Motivational Interviewing
This chapter explains motivational interviewing and strategies that are used to help clients understand the underlying reasons for their own change while affirming their motivation.

Chapter 17: Goal Setting
Understand different types of goals, the benefits of effective goal-setting, methods for providing feedback and tracking progress, and identify obstacles commonly encountered when setting goals.

• • 18 Infographics

• • 11 Videos

• • 16 Knowledge Checks

Chapter 18: Dietary Assessment and Body Composition Testing
In this chapter, you'll discover a step-by-step approach to assessing dietary intake and monitoring body composition. You'll compare body-composition assessment methods and understand the importance of consistency and accessibility.

Chapter 19: Food and Supplement Labels and Portion Size
Learn about the labeling standards for food and supplement products, as well as portion size recommendations.

Chapter 20: Helping Clients Navigate the Real World
This chapter explains strategies that can help clients make healthy food choices in everyday situations, such as at the grocery store or dining out.

Chapter 21: Navigating Diets
Learn the latest facts regarding diets and how they impact health, body composition, and athletic performance. This chapter explores many different diets and provides details regarding their safety and effectiveness.

Chapter 22: Nutrition Hot Topics and Controversies
An in-depth approach to explaining the science behind many of the nutrition hot topics and controversies faced by clients today.

Chapter 23: Managing Weight-Loss Plateaus and Maintaining Weight Loss
This chapter examines the science and psychology of weight-loss plateaus and how to help clients avoid this vicious cycle.

Chapter 24: Programming - Putting it All Together
Nutrition Coaches must have a foundational level of knowledge regarding nutritional science and behavior psychology. However, knowledge without action is virtually useless, especially when helping clients achieve their health-and-wellness goals. This chapter puts all of this knowledge into practice and details a step-by-step process for nutrition programming.

• • 62 Infographics

• • 16 Videos

• • 29 Knowledge Checks

• • 10 Printable Handouts

After the completion of the course, you will take an online final exam from the comfort of your own home, or wherever you prefer to take tests. The test is 100, multiple-choice questions. You are allowed to go back and reference the course while taking the exam. The exam is timed and cannot exceed 90 minutes. To pass, you need a score of 70% or higher and you have up to 3 attempts to pass.