Fitness and Nutrition Training Curriculum for Employees

Lesson 1: Starting Your Program

 

Starting Your Program is designed to help your learners become successful Penn Foster students, including learning how to use all available tools and resources. 

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Understand how to use your Student Portal.
• Access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers.
• Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites.

 

Lesson 2: Introduction to Managing Personal Health

Feel good, both physically and mentally, by managing personal health. 

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Describe the basic components of a fitness plan.
• Identify and handle stress.
• Shop for and choose healthy foods.
• Set fitness goals and choose exercise plans that fit your lifestyle.
• Identify careers in the fitness and nutrition industry

Lesson 1: Medical Terminology

 

Your learners need strong medical vocabulary skills to succeed in their career.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Break medical terms down to understand their meaning.
• Describe the rules of medical terminology.

 

Lesson 2: Exercise Science Terminology

 

To conduct exercise classes, plan fitness programs, and become an effective personal trainer, your learners will need to be comfortable using the language of the fitness industry.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Use exercise science terminology fluently.
• Understand how fitness training and exercise routines affect the body and specific muscles.

 

Lesson 3: Fitness Anatomy and Physiology 1

 

This lesson is the first part of Fitness Anatomy and Physiology.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Describe the overall function of and major structures within the digestive, urinary, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems.

Lesson 4: Fitness Anatomy and Physiology 2

 

This lesson is the second part of Fitness Anatomy and Physiology.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

•  Describe the overall function of the endocrine, circulatory, and respiratory systems.

Lesson 1: Nutrition Basics

Some nutritional needs are the same over a lifespan, others vary over time.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Describe nutritional needs for all ages.
• Identify nutrition for infants to ensure adequate physical and mental growth and development.
• Identify nutrition for seniors to maintain strong bones and physical and mental acuity

 

Lesson 2: Developing Healthy Eating Habits

 

Fitness professionals are expected to know enough about nutrition to recommend healthy recipes and menus.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Compose a list of healthy ingredients and recipes.
• Offer healthy-eating demos.

 

Lesson 3: Posture, Balance, and Proper Alignment

 

Physiology—how systems function and act—and kinesiology—how mechanics and anatomy relate to movement—will be presented, providing your learners with fuller insight into motion and movement.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

•  Describe how muscles, bones, joints, and other body structures unite to get you moving.

 

Lesson 4: Therapeutic Communication Skills

 

Proper posture and balance are important to physical health.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Understand the importance of posture and balance and current theories on achieving correct posture and balance.
• Assess posture and identify exercises that will assist in attaining the best posture and balance possible.
• Describe how poor posture can lead to bodily pain, injury, and reduced quality of life.

Lesson 1: Understanding the Heart and Lungs

 

Cardiorespiratory fitness can be measured by assessing the heart’s ability to pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the body to the working muscles during exercise, as well as by the efficiency with which the muscles use oxygen to produce energy.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Describe cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
• Understand the cardiovascular benefits of exercise.

 

Lesson 2: Cardiorespiratory Fitness

 

Cardiorespiratory fitness is the ability to maintain high-endurance aerobic exercises, such as cycling, swimming, and running, for a prolonged period of time, without the early onset of performance-inhibiting fatigue.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• List general principles of cardiorespiratory exercise.
• Describe the physical and psychological benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.

 

Lesson 3: Principles of Muscular Strength and Endurance

 

Strength training, also called weight training and resistance training, is an important tool for achieving a complete healthy body. Strength training isn’t just for athletes; anyone who wants to build or tone muscle can use strength training to achieve a fitter body.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Describe the advantages of incorporating strength training into a fitness program.
• Be familiar with traditional strength-training workouts.
• Identify safety factors that need to be addressed with strength training.

 

Lesson 4: Strengthening the Core

 

Strengthening the core can generate tremendous benefits and is the one area of the body that will always give a great return on fitness investment.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

•  Describe the function and importance of the core.
• Get the core in great shape. 

Lesson 1: Strengthening the Upper Body

 

Often, the upper body is the first part of the body to show wear and tear from the stresses and strains of daily life. As posture deteriorates, the heart and lungs become physically strained.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Understand the importance of upper-body exercises for maintaining proper posture, aligning the spine, and maintaining joint positioning.
• Strengthen the neck, shoulders, arms, and torso.
• Describe how upper-body fitness contributes to the performance of daily activities and exercise programs.
• Achieve and maintain a fit upper body

 

Lesson 2: Strengthening the Lower Body

 

A powerful lower body is essential to a strong and balanced physical foundation.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Strengthen the thighs, lower back, lower abdominals, buttocks, and calves.
  
   

Lesson 3: Flexibility Training

Everyone needs some flexibility to function in everyday life.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Understand the importance of flexibility.
• Describe how to stretch without injury

 

Lesson 4: Preventing Injury

 

Participation in any fitness activity presents some risk of injury. Fitness professionals should do everything possible to ensure that their clients are exercising safely.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Identify and prevent common fitness injuries.
  
   

Lesson 5: Stress Management Techniques

 

This lesson teaches you how to apply stress-reducing techniques to tense situation.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Describe how stress affects people physically and mentally.
• Use techniques to handle stress.

 

Lesson 1: Personal Fitness Programs

Exercise, healthy eating, and stress reduction must be practiced over a lifetime to maintain fitness.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Demonstrate strong personal commitment to fitness.
• Establish fitness goals for yourself and your clients.
• Design, monitor, and maintain fitness programs appropriate to clients’ needs.

 

Lesson 2: Fitness Programs for the General Population

Combine your learners' knowledge of fitness, exercise, stress reduction, and good nutrition.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Describe fitness programs for the general population.

 

Lesson 3: Health Screening, Testing, and Evaluation

Fitness professionals know how to design exercise routines so their clients not only look and feel better but actually achieve better overall health through improved mental and physical function.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Assess one’s current health and fitness status.
• Identify the team members who may be involved in the assessment process.

 

Lesson 4: Preparing for Special Situations

Everyone who can exercise should exercise.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Determine what exercises clients should do to maintain a maximum level of fitness throughout their lives. 

Lesson 1: Leadership Skills

Your learners now know the nuts and bolts of designing fitness programs and interacting with their clients and students. This course is designed to help them become a fitness leader.

 

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Motivate and inspire clients to exercise.
  
   

Lesson 2: Legal and Ethical Issues

 

A number of legal and ethical issues apply to sports and the fitness industry. 

 

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Identify some of the issues, challenges, and legal and ethical responsibilities involved in being a fitness professional.