Chris Powell will give the second keynote speech of the Club Industry 2011 show at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 14.

Chris Powell, the personal trainer and transformation specialist who presents ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” is an expert on helping morbidly obese clients shed pounds. Although his prominent role in the fight against the obesity epidemic takes place outside of the traditional health club environment, he still has plenty of ideas about how fitness facilities can reach out to overweight clients.

The key, he says, is to approach the issue from more than one angle.

“In order for us to really find a solution for our obese clients, it needs to be a trifecta of obesity solutions,” Powell says. Nutrition is the foundation and exercise is a must, but that third element of emotional help is needed.

“We also really need to assign an individual who can work with them on an emotional level and help them work through their own obstacles,” he says.

Powell acknowledges that such a personalized approach can be challenging for health clubs to administer, given the number of clients. He says the answer could be for health clubs to help the obese population by creating programs that trainers can use to work one-on-one with clients or even by allowing trainers the freedom to create their own programs.

“If we can create and at least start thinking of solutions for creating these transformation specialists who can combine exercise and nutrition and disseminate that knowledge…it’s just going to become so much more powerful that way,” Powell says.

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