Press Room

SAN DIEGO, Calif., August 20, 2026 — New research sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and conducted by the Applied Exercise Science and Performance Program at Western Colorado University suggests that exercise professionals can play a meaningful role in helping clients adopt healthier eating habits through purposeful, client-centered communication.

The study found that participants who received nutrition support grounded in the ACE Mover Method™ and ACE ABC Approach™ significantly improved their consumption of fruits, vegetables and fiber over a 10-week period, while participants who completed the same exercise program without this support showed no comparable improvements.

"This study adds to the growing body of evidence demonstrating that behavior-change conversations can have a measurable impact on health outcomes," said Sabrena Jo, PhD senior director of science and education at ACE. "The significant improvements in healthy eating behaviors and cardiometabolic risk indicators observed in the ACE Mover Method group underscore the value of equipping exercise professionals with practical, evidence-based strategies to support clients both inside and outside the gym."

ACE partnered with researchers Lance Dalleck, PhD, and Chance Wiening, BSc, from Western Colorado University to evaluate whether the ACE Mover Method could support healthier eating behaviors alongside a structured exercise program. The study included 24 nonsmoking adults who were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Both groups completed a 10-week personalized exercise program based on the ACE Integrated Fitness Training® Model, while participants in the ACE Mover Method group also received weekly client-centered nutrition coaching integrated into their exercise sessions.

Researchers assessed participants before and after the intervention using anthropometric and cardiometabolic measures, along with healthy eating scores based on participants’ fruit, vegetable, and fiber intake. While both groups began with similar healthy eating scores, only the ACE Mover Method group experienced significant improvements across all measured healthy eating categories after 10 weeks. The control group, which did not receive nutrition-focused coaching using the ACE Mover Method, showed no significant dietary improvements.

"The results suggest that relatively brief, practical conversations incorporated into regular training sessions can help clients make positive dietary changes that may support improved metabolic health,” said Dalleck. "These findings are particularly important because higher fruit, vegetable and fiber intake are strongly associated with reduced risk of hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease."

The study also identified several health-related benefits associated with the intervention. Participants in the ACE Mover Method group experienced a significant improvement in waist circumference compared with the control group. In addition, researchers observed an improvement in MetS z-score, a measure of cardiometabolic risk, among participants who received ACE Mover Method-based nutrition support, while no such improvement was observed in the control group.

The results add to a growing body of evidence supporting client-centered coaching techniques and provide further support for the ACE Mover Method and ACE ABC Approach as practical, real-world strategies for helping individuals build healthier lifestyles. Learn more about ACE research: ACE IMPACT | Science & Education.

About ACE

Since 1985, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) has been the leading non-profit education and certification provider for health coaches and exercise professionals in the United States and around the world.

With more than 90,000 highly respected certified health coaches and exercise professionals, ACE Certified Professionals are on the ground daily helping people move, stay active and make lasting lifestyle behavior changes to build healthier communities.

Headquartered in San Diego, ACE collaborates with public health partners to educate people of all backgrounds about the importance of physical activity and other healthy lifestyle behaviors; advocates for public policies to increase physical activity opportunities; and supports scientific research that investigates the efficacy of behavior-change interventions and the effectiveness of exercise practices and trends. Learn more at acefitness.org.