Fitness and Nutrition Certificate

Your program consists of seven Instruction Sets designed to take you step-by-step through the techniques and skills you'll need to complete your Fitness and Nutrition Certificate Program.

Here's how it works: Your first Instruction Set is sent immediately after your enrolment has been accepted. Other Instruction Sets will follow as you complete your exams, so you will always have training materials to work with. Here is an overview of what you'll learn and the order in which you'll receive your lessons:

Please note: Students must have access to a Microsoft® Windows®-based computer. ICS Canada recommends the following minimum specifications: Pentium® II or better  processor (Pentium® III preferred), using Microsoft Windows® XP or later, capable of running Microsoft® Office 2007. Students must submit all exams online. You will need Internet access to access to complete this program.

Instruction Set 1

• Learning Strategies
  Identifying and implementing a successful study method; planning when, where, and how you’ll study; creating effective and efficient study tools; using study tools to improve chances for success.
• Introduction to Managing Personal Health
  Taking charge of your health and lifestyle; assessing your present lifestyle and its effects on your well-being; the benefits of managing your health; the importance of a weight maintenance program; job opportunities for fitness leaders; the personal qualities needed to become a fitness leader.

Instruction Set 2

• Medical Terminology
  Understanding common suffixes, roots, and prefixes used to form medical terms; determining the meaning of medical terms; identifying the basic structures and functions of the human body; understanding anatomical position, directional terms, planes of section, quadrants, and regions.
• Exercise Science Terminology
  Major muscle groups and the work they perform; anatomy of a muscle; aerobic versus anaerobic exercise; training thresholds and recovery periods; tests for overall fitness, muscle strength, and flexibility; typical components of a fitness workout; training methods for different fitness levels.
• Fitness Anatomy and Physiology 1
  The overall function of the digestive, urinary, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems; the major structures within each system; the functions of the structures within each system; related terminology.
• Fitness Anatomy and Physiology 2
  The overall function of the endocrine, circulatory, and respiratory systems; the major structures within each system; the functions of the structures within each system; related terminology.

Instruction Set 3

• Nutrition Basics
  The relationship between calories and energy; balancing carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in a healthy eating plan; suggesting foods for individuals with allergies; selecting healthy ingredients and preparation methods; the importance of vitamins and minerals; daily water and fluid intake; nutritional needs for men and women; taking herbal supplements; selecting healthy foods using nutritional tools.
• Developing Healthy Eating Habits
  Creating low-fat menus and recipes for clients; identifying ingredients needed to prepare healthy meals; analyzing recipes and menus for caloric, fat, protein, carbohydrate, sodium, and fiber content; interpreting nutrition labels; demonstrating healthy techniques for energy balance and weight loss.
• Muscles in Motion
  Different types of muscles and their structures; voluntary and involuntary muscle movement; mechanism and chemistry of muscle contraction; bones and joints and their function in movement; performance factors and fatigue; muscular fitness and its relationship to health; muscle soreness and injury.
• Posture, Balance, and Proper Alignment
  Health benefits of good posture; poor posture and its effects on breathing, digestion, and other bodily functions; proper posture techniques; assisting clients in attaining good posture and developing good posture habits; exercises that improve strength and flexibility for the spine and core; techniques to alleviate tension and anxiety.

Instruction Set 4

• Understanding the Heart and Lungs
  The pulmonary circuit; comparing and contrasting arteries, arterioles, veins, venules, and capillaries; determining your target heart rate and your heart rate range; physical advantages of regular cardiorespiratory exercise; the relationship between lifestyle and blood pressure; factors that contribute to heart and lung disease; information resources for developing and maintaining a healthy heart and lungs.
• Cardiorespiratory Fitness
  Exercise mode, duration, frequency, and intensity; advantages of cardiorespiratory fitness; comparing and contrasting cardiorespiratory exercise regimens; calculating resting heart rate, maximum heart rate, heart rate reserve, and training intensity; exercise plan progression; designing cardiorespiratory exercise programs.
• Principles of Muscular Strength and Endurance
  Advantages of resistance training; traditional resistance training routines; practicing safe training methods; the role of genetics, gender, and age in resistance training; determining appropriate weight loads; effects of muscle overload and hypertrophy.
• Strengthening the Core
  Core muscle groups and their relationship to overall fitness; exercise routines for core fitness; practical applications for core fitness; basics of functional training; comparing and contrasting posture and stretching exercise routines.

Instruction Set 5

• Strengthening the Upper Body
  Advantages of upper-body fitness; assessing your level of upper body fitness; practical applications for achieving and maintaining upper body fitness; fitness routines and exercise techniques for the neck, shoulders, arms, chest, and upper back.
• Strengthening the Lower Body
  Major structures of the lower body; advantages of achieving and maintaining a fit lower body; exercises that enhance lower body fitness; designing and implementing lower body fitness programs.
• Flexibility Training
  Defining flexibility and range of motion; benefits of increased flexibility; relationship between poor flexibility and increased injury; identifying individual flexibility needs; structural limits to flexibility; stretching techniques; major components of a flexibility training program.
• Preventing Injury
  The importance of safety in exercise; the five commandments of injury prevention; lifelong impact of sports injuries; responding to serious injuries and emergency situations; recognizing symptoms of common injuries; safety requirements for physical activities; designing plans to prevent or decrease injury.
• Stress Management Techniques
  Distinguishing between eustress and distress; the impact of stress on physical health; physical and psychological symptoms of stress; common stressors in daily life; the three stages of stress; the importance of fun and relaxation in relieving stress; reducing stress through exercise and adequate sleep; visualization, meditation, and breathing techniques.
• DVD : Yoga for Every Body

Instruction Set 6

• Personal Fitness Programs
  The need for self-assessment; determining appropriate long- and short-term fitness goals; methods for measuring and tracking progress; setting flexibility, endurance, strength, nutrition, and stress-reduction goals; promoting lifetime fitness; proposing a rationale for starting a fitness program; fitness prescriptions for individuals at various stages of fitness.
• Fitness Programs for the General Population
  Planning health assessments, setting goals, and designing fitness programs for clients; creating fitness programs based on aerobic and strength-training components; evaluating fitness workout formats; the six basic body positions; safety considerations for designing new fitness programs; interacting with clients during and following workouts.
• Health Screening, Testing, and Evaluation
  General and specialized health assessments; the importance of informed consent; roles of fitness assessment team members; appropriate tests for measuring strength, endurance, and flexibility; active and passive fitness testing.
• Preparing for Special Situations
  Partnering with health care professionals to provide fitness instruction; exercise guidelines for clients with diabetes and asthma; designing exercise programs for pregnant women; exercise parameters for children and the elderly; typical exercise limitations for individuals with lower back pain; medical conditions that restrict or prevent exercise.

Instruction Set 7

• Leadership Skills
  Leadership characteristics of fitness professionals; responsibilities of being a role model; methods for capturing and keeping clients’ attention; selecting appropriate props for exercise classes; creating an environment that reflects the varying pace of workouts; establishing a rapport with clients; communicating with clients at different fitness levels.
• Legal and Ethical Issues
  Common liability issues facing fitness professionals; forms and contracts required for fitness professionals, facilities, and clients; sources of legal information; identifying situations with potential for injury and/or litigation; minimizing risk within a fitness facility; ethical issues related to the fitness profession.

Online Library and Librarian
Students of ICS Canada have access to an online library for use during their studies. Students can use this library to do the required research in the courses they complete or can use it for general reference and links to valuable resources. The library contains helpful research assistance, articles, databases, books, and Web links. A librarian is available to answer questions on general research-related topics via email and assist students in research activities during their studies with ICS Canada.

We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.

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