“It is a moral responsibility to use the best available information to take care of our athletes
(clients)…not to do so borders on a type of malpractice in sports (fitness).”
These words, by William J. Kraemer, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Ball State University, are powerful and appropriate.
It seems absurd that when it comes to prescribing exercise, nutrition, health, or fitness advice, a provincial license or apprenticeship training is not required. This means that anyone can prescribe exercise, anyone can claim to be a nutrition expert, and anyone can give health and wellness advice. This can be done with no education, no formal training, no proof that the information is true, and, apparently, no ethics. Andrew Pipe, M.D., director of the Centre for Ethics in Sports, indicates, “Never before has it been more important that we adopt an ethical perspective in addressing our responsibilities to athletes, the world of sport, and society in general.”
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Mike Bracko