Diet, Exercise and Fitness

Syllabus

Introduction

• Define health, activity, and fitness
• Discuss the health risks of an inactive lifestyle and poor diet
• Name and describe five components of fitness

Improving Fitness and Activity

• Demonstrate an awareness of the obesity epidemic currently affecting industrialized nations
• Discuss the importance of setting SMART goals
• Identify barriers to maintaining an exercise routine
• Plan ways to improve adherence to an exercise program

Measurement in Health and Fitness

• Identify reasons to measure activity and fitness
• Name tests for each aspect of physical fitness
• Discuss tests for health variables including activity and blood pressure
• Take precautions to ensure that tests are carried out in a consistent way

Planning a Fitness and Training Program

• Name the principles of training
• Understand the FITT Principle
• Show awareness of the three energy systems
• Use RPE to prescribe exercise intensity
• Prescribe exercise following the FITT principle

Safety in Exercise

• Talk about the importance of pre-exercise questionnaires
• Describe the importance of a warm-up and cool-down
• Recognise different types of injuries
• Discuss safety factors pertaining to the exercise facility and the exercising individual that should be considered in designing a program

Anatomy and Physiology

• Name the 11 physiological systems
• Describe the structure and function of the:

Skeletal

Muscular

Circulatory

Respiratory

Nervous system

• Describe the concept of homeostasis

Energy

• List the forms of energy used by the body
• Define the terms calorie and Calorie
• Know the energy currency of the body
• Describe in detail the three macronutrients, their components, and their subtypes
• Recognize that cellular pathways convert macronutrients to ATP

The Digestive System

• Name the parts of the digestive system, and describe their function
• Identify the sites of absorption of the major vitamins and minerals
• Discuss digestive enzymes
• Name the hormones involved in the control of blood glucose

Vitamins

• Discuss the three major functions of vitamins
• Identify the function, RDA, and major food sources for each of the 13 vitamins
• Mention the risk of toxicity for fat-soluble vitamins compared with water-soluble vitamins

Minerals

• Discuss the roles of 7 important vitamins in the body
• Identify the role of calcium in bone-building
• State the RDA and some major food sources of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, copper, chromium, and selenium
• Discuss the possibility of toxicity for each of these minerals

Supplements

• Define the term food supplement
• Discuss the risks and benefits of supplementing with certain:

Vitamins

Minerals

Macronutrients

Amino acids

Herbs and other substances

• Define the terms antioxidant and free radical in the context of diet and exercise

Exercise and Diet for Chronic Disease Prevention

• Discuss the risk factors for, negative health effects of, and dietary and exercise interventions for:

Obesity

Osteoporosis

Cardiovascular disease

Diabetes

Cancer

• Describe some positive lifestyle changes that will reduce the risk of many diseases

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 120 hrs.