This course has a dual purpose: 1. To educate students on the importance of being fit and feeling good, with detailed instructions on how to manage their own wellness; 2. To introduce students to fitness training and management as a possible career.

Course Description
 
Among the topics are: the forms and functions of the muscular, cardiorespiratory, and skeletal systems; the role of energy in exercise; how to manage fitness and diet; the scientific way to control weight; how to adapt exercise programs for those with special needs; and how to prevent and treat training injuries. With numerous useful charts.

The course includes six illustrated, reader-friendly study units: Introduction to Managing Personal Health • Muscles in Motion • Exercise and How It Affects the Body • Injury Prevention and First Aid • Nutrition and General Health, Part 1 • Nutrition and General Health, Part 2. There are two supplements—Body Talk: A Glossary of Fitness and Nutrition Terms and (for optional use) HIV/AIDS Awareness—and six exams.

• Explain and practice various ways to take charge of their health and lifestyle
• List the physical and psychological benefits of managing their health
• Understand the importance of a weight maintenance program
• Discuss the types of opportunities available for fitness leaders
• Define medical terminology that relates to the fitness industry
• Identify the different types of muscles, and explain how they work
• Explain how conditioning affects the size and shape of muscles
• Discuss the effects of steroids on the muscular system and body
• Explain the functions and structures of the cardiorespiratory support system,
  the skeletal system, and the energy systems that trigger muscular movements
• Tell how the conscious and unconscious minds control actions and form habits
• Describe how the body responds to both anaerobic and aerobic exercise
• Discuss the importance of METS and kilocalories (units of energy measurement)
• Understand the relationship between gender and physical fitness
• Explain the importance of adapting diet and exercise programs for those with special
  needs, such as the elderly and those with cardiac, respiratory, or diabetic diseases
• Identify common causes of exercise-related injuries, and describe various symptoms
• Explain how to use the RICE method for treating minor injuries
• Describe the causes of muscular soreness and pain, and list ways to prevent them
• Discuss such issues as healthy weight maintenance, including dietary modifications,
  the danger of fad diets, and health disorders that can result from improper nutrition
• Explain the importance of dietary fiber, water, and specific vitamins and minerals
• Identify the food sources of fat, and offer tips on reducing fat from a person’s diet
• Explain the dangers of high blood cholesterol, and list ways to lower it
• Compare the relationship between high blood pressure and high-sodium diets
• Outline the basic functions of nutrient supplements and the controversies about them
• Explain how to read ingredient and nutritional information on food labels
• Identify ways to eat nutritionally when there is little time for food preparation
• Understand what AIDS is, how HIV is transmitted, and how to prevent HIV infection

Course Outline

Study Unit 1: Introduction to Managing Personal Health

The World of Personal Wellness; How to Take Charge of Your Health and Lifestyle; Trends in the Health Industry; Changing Your Views of Health; Fitness Benefits and Assessment; Fitness Mania; Weight Maintenance; Height and Weight Tables; Tips on Losing Weight; Fitness Careers; Specialties; Fitness Goals for Instructors and Students

Study Unit 2: Muscles in Motion

How Activity is Directed; Muscular System; New Words to Learn; More About Muscles: Contractions, Muscle Talk, Growing, Shrinking, and Monitoring; Dangers of Steroids; Cardiorespiratory System; Skeletal System; Muscle Movement; Exercise Tryouts

Study Unit 3: Exercise and How It Affects the Body

Exercise and Energy; Energy Production; Energy Continuum; Body’s Response to Exercise; Measuring Your Heart Rate; Anaerobic and Aerobic Exercise; Energy-Measuring Methods; Types of Exercise; Exercise Adaptation Based on Gender, Age, Health, and Weight; Exercise Advice; FAQs; Calorie Expenditure Charts

Study Unit 4: Injury Prevention and First Aid

Exercise and Safety; Aerobic Exercise—A Special Report; Your Unique Body; Injury Prevention and Safety Education; Injury Assessment; RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for Minor Injuries; Early Response to Serious Injury; First Aid Kits; Rescue Breathing; Treatment of Soreness and Wounds; Leg and Foot Injuries; Upper Limb Injuries; Other Musculoskeletal Injuries; Sudden Medical Injuries; Precautions

Study Unit 5: Nutrition and General Health, Part 1

Introduction; Dietary Guidelines; Food Guide Pyramid; Healthy Weight Maintenance; Complex Carbohydrates; Dietary Fiber; Dietary Fats; Cholesterol; Dietary Sugar and Sodium; Alcoholic Beverages; Importance of Water; Special Dietary Health Conditions

Study Unit 6: Nutrition and General Health, Part 2

Introduction to Vitamins and Minerals; Sources; Nutrient Guidelines; Vitamins: A, C, D, E, K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, B6, and B12; Minerals: Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, and Copper; Food Choices; Label Reading; Eating on the Go; Terms Describing Menu Items; Fast Food; FAQs

Body Talk: A Glossary of Fitness and Nutrition Terms

Definitions of 451 Terms, with Illustrations and Pronunciation Aids

HIV/AIDS Awareness (optional)

AIDS and HIV Defined; HIV Transmission; AIDS Prevention; Symptoms; Treatment

After registering for the Fitness and Nutrition course, all of your learning materials will be shipped directly to you. If you like, you can also go to our website and download some of your study materials to get a head start. Your learning materials will guide you through the course content, explaining concepts and operations through a series of lessons. After each lesson, you’ll take an exam which you can submit by phone or our website. As you pass each lesson, you’ll proceed to the next topic until you complete the course.

There are six exams that need to be passed to complete your course in Fitness and Nutrition and you’ll have up to 15 weeks to complete the course.
 
Support
If you should ever need help with your studies, you can e-mail or call our instructors who will gladly help you with any questions that you might have.

Study Time
Since there is no set class schedule, you study when and where it’s convenient for you. You can complete your course as quickly as you’d like.

Completion
When you have successfully completed your course, you will receive a letter of completion along with an official transcript listing your completed course(s) and grades. You can apply your course towards our Diploma Program or a diploma from your local High School (be sure to check with your school authorities regarding mandatory attendance policies and whether they agree that the Penn Foster High School Program is acceptable toward the completion of your high school education). 
 
Accreditation
Penn Foster High School is accredited by The Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools; has met the high standards of integrity and performance set by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), Washington D.C., and is licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.

Whether you’re looking for accelerated studies or credit recovery, regionally and nationally accredited Penn Foster High School provides the courses you need to complete your High School Diploma.