Best Health and Fitness Certifications (My Favorites After 17+ Years in the Industry)

Sharing a roundup of my favorite reputable health and fitness certifications if you’re considering becoming a wellness professional. Check out all of the details below!

Hi friends! How are you? I hope that you’re having an amazing week so far! Mine is PACKED with client calls and podcast interviews, but I’m looking forward to a long, relaxing Easter weekend with the fam.

For today’s post, I wanted to talk a bit about health and wellness certifications, especially now that I’m working my way through two new ones: High Performance Health and Integrative Health Practitioner Level 3.

I LOVE to learn, and over the past 17 years in the wellness industry, I’ve completed quite a few health and fitness certifications. I won’t recap them all again here (they’re all on the About page!), but I definitely have some favorites. 😉

I figured I’d share my top certification options if you’re considering expanding your knowledge in the health and wellness space, teaching fitness, or pursuing a new career.

Whether you want to coach clients, teach classes, dive into functional health, or simply deepen your own knowledge, there are so many incredible programs out there.

Best Health and Fitness Certifications

One of the biggest questions I get is: Where do I even start?

The answer really depends on your goals.

Do you want to:

Work 1:1 with clients?

Teach fitness classes?

Build an online wellness business?

Or simply learn more for yourself and your family?

I’ve broken this down into a few categories to help you find the best fit.

Health Coach / Functional Practitioner Certifications

If you want to help clients get to the root cause of health imbalances, functional lab testing is the BIGGEST gamechanger.

When you can run labs, analyze them, and recommend appropriate protocols, it’s such an incredible way to serve clients on a deeper level.

(Friendly reminder that we don’t diagnose, prescribe, cure, or treat. We’re looking for deficiencies and toxicities—and how we can support the body back into balance.)

Integrative Health Practitioner (IHP) Institute

This is by far my favorite certification.

I’ve completed Level 1 and Level 2, and I’m currently working through High Performance Health and Level 3. I’m not exaggerating when I say that IHP has completely changed my life.

It’s enabled me to help clients in a much deeper capacity, and I’ve also used the testing and protocols on myself and in our family. It was a huge part of my own healing journey.

What I love most about IHP:

It combines Eastern and Western approaches

You learn how to read and interpret functional lab testing

You’re given clear protocols you can actually implement

It’s extremely practical and actionable

If you’re interested in working with clients, running labs, or truly understanding root-cause health, this is the one I recommend again and again.

You can check it out here and use the code FITNESSISTA for a huge discount.

Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDNP)

I don’t personally hold this certification, but I have many friends who have completed it and gone on to build thriving online practices.

From what I understand, it’s similar to IHP in that you’re learning how to become a “health detective” and look at patterns within the body using functional labs.

The curriculum and testing options are fairly similar, and the goal is the same: helping clients get to the root cause of what they’re experiencing instead of just managing symptoms. You can check out details here. 

Nutrition Coach Certifications

Please note that this is SO different from a Registered Dietitian.

Only a licensed RD can tell you exactly what to eat or prescribe a specific diet plan. A nutrition coach can provide guidance, education, macro support, and balanced recommendations based on your goals, but cannot prescribe individualized medical nutrition therapy.

Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN)

I do not hold this certification, but it’s one that I seriously considered.

One of the biggest perks is that you can specialize based on your interests, whether that’s plant-based nutrition, Paleo, hormone health, or other dietary approaches.

It’s a great option if you’re looking for a broad, holistic introduction to health coaching and want flexibility in how you apply it.

Precision Nutrition

I completed Precision Nutrition a handful of years ago and thought the curriculum was very straightforward and practical.

What I liked most:

Learning how to calculate macros based on individual goals

Understanding nutrient timing and fueling strategies

Diving deeper into specific goals like endurance training or fat loss

Coaching strategies and behavior change

This is a great option if you want a strong foundation in nutrition coaching, especially if your focus is fitness, body composition, or performance. You can learn more here.

Biohacking Certification

High Performance Health (HPH)

I’m currently working through this certification and LOVING it.

It covers topics like:

optimizing cardio capacity

brain health and cognitive function

advanced nutrition strategies

biohacking tools and stacks

taking an already healthy routine to the next level

This is a great option if you’re already in the wellness space and want to go deeper into optimization and performance. Learn more about HPH here.

Little blast from the past from the Zumba days. Bring it baaaack!

Fitness Certifications

If you want to work in a gym, train clients, or teach classes, a fitness certification is essential.

NASM Personal Trainer

I’ve been a NASM-certified personal trainer for many years, and I really appreciated how in-depth and science-based the curriculum is.

It covers:

anatomy and physiology

program design

injury prevention

client assessment

I also have to maintain continuing education credits and CPR certification to stay current, which I think is so important.

This certification truly took my personal training to the next level.

AFAA Group Fitness

This is the group fitness certification I got years and years ago, and it’s the one I’d recommend if you’re considering teaching group fitness.

It focuses on:

class structure

cueing and coaching

safety and modifications

creating an engaging experience

If you love the energy of group classes, this is a great place to start.

Fitness Specialties

If you want to niche down or expand your offerings, specialty certifications can be a great addition.

Some of the ones I’ve completed:

NASM Corrective Exercise

NASM Women’s Fitness Specialist

NASM Weight Loss Specialist

BODYPUMP

These allow you to:

work with specific populations

address injuries or imbalances

create more customized programs

Yoga (RYT)

If you’re interested in teaching yoga, a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) certification is the standard.

Beyond teaching, it’s also an incredible personal development experience that deepens your understanding of movement, breath, and mindfulness. Your local yoga studio will likely offer 200 hour certification programs. Get certified at the studio you love!

Barre

Barre is a little different because there aren’t as many widely accepted universal certifications.

If you’re interested in teaching barre, I recommend reaching out to the specific studio where you’d like to teach. Many studios offer in-house training programs.

The best thing you can do is take as many classes there as possible, since each studio tends to have its own unique method and style.

If I could give one piece of advice, it would be this:

Start with something that genuinely excites you.

You don’t have to do everything at once. You don’t need 10 certifications to get started!

One certification can open the door, and you can build from there.

For me, continuing education has been one of the most rewarding parts of this career. It’s allowed me to grow, evolve, and serve others in a much deeper way.

If you’re thinking about diving into the wellness space, I’m cheering you on and if you have any questions about these certifications, I’m always happy to help!

xo