Excercise, Fitness & Health Course (Level 3 Award)

The course will first of all focus on gaining a sound knowledge base on what we mean by the concepts Health, Exercise and Fitness.

It will address the essential components of fitness and examine how these can be tested. The ability to take part in exercise depends on your level of fitness which can be improved through regular training and exercise. Methods of training will be analysed to give practical ideas on what type of training you can do and how to do it. Guidance will be given on how to plan training programmes and sessions effectively. Practical examples of training programmes and sessions will be included.

This course will also look at factors that affect sporting performance both physiology and psychologically. These factors will determine how improved fitness levels and healthier lifestyles are achieved.

One unit will focus on the impact of diet and nutrition on health and fitness. Essential nutritional requirements will be looked at and how to compose a balanced diet. The dietary requirements of an athlete will also be studied.

Injury will be covered in another unit. Ways of preventing injury will be evaluated and discussed. You will gain an insight into how to recognise and treat different injuries and this will prepare you with basic first aid knowledge. N.B. Completing this course does not mean that you are First Aid qualified.

There will be seven units that will give you detailed knowledge about the different body systems and how they enable us to exercise, and the effects that exercise has on them. These units will give you a clear understanding of how your body is structured, how the body organs work and how the different systems work in unison to ensure your body functions effectively and to its maximum potential.

At the end of this course you will be able to plan exercise and nutritional programmes for individuals taking into account their individual differences in terms of age, gender, weight and fitness level.

COURSE KEY TOPICS 

Unit 1 – Defining the Concepts Health, Exercise and Fitness
Unit 2 – Understanding the components of Fitness and how to test them
Unit 3 – Ways to improve Fitness – training methods
Unit 4 – Planning Training and Fitness Programmes
Unit 5 – Factors affecting Sporting Performance
Unit 6 – Safety in Sport
Unit 7 – Diet and Nutrition
Unit 8 – Body systems – the skeletal system
Unit 9 – The muscular system
Unit 10 – The Cardiovascular System
Unit 11 – The Respiratory System
Unit 12 – The Digestive System
Unit 13 – The Nervous System
Unit 14 – The Endocrine System
Unit 15 – Stress and Anxiety in Sport

HOME STUDY SUPPORT

You will be provided with comprehensive materials designed to provide you with everything required to complete your course. You will have your own personal tutor helping you with your course work and with any questions you may have. Plus you can contact our Student Advisors by email or phone for all the practical advice you may need – so we really are with you 100%.

What's more, you'll have access to the online student portal, where you can interact with other students, browse our resource library and manage your account.

The NCFE Level 3 in Exercise, Fitness & Health course is divided into fifteen comprehensive modules:

Unit 1

• Defining the Concepts Health, Exercise and Fitness
• What is Health?
• Physical, social and mental health
• What is exercise?
• Types of exercise – Sports Continuum
• The Sports Continuum
• What is fitness?
• Health benefits of taking part in regular exercise
• Ten reasons to get more active
• Health related components of fitness
• Skill related components of fitness
• Comparison of health and skill related fitness

Unit 2

• Understanding the components of Fitness and how to test them
• Definition of the components of fitness
• Detained analysis of each component
• Why do we want to test our fitness?
• Measuring the components of fitness
• Components of fitness needed for different sporting activities

Unit 3

• Ways to improve Fitness – training methods
• How the body generates energy for exercise
• The Creatine Phosphate system
• The Lactic Acid system and Oxygen debt
• The Aerobic system
• Analysis of different training zones
• Principles of SPORT
• FITT principles
• Methods of training :- Continuous, Fartlek, Interval, Weight Training, Plymetrics, Flexibility Training and Circuit Training
• Examples of training sessions for each training method

Unit 4

• Planning Training and Fitness Programmes
• Physiological and psychological benefits of warming up
• Cool down – reasons why it is important
• Phases of a warm up:- body temperature raising, stretching and skill development
• Planning a training programme
• Applying the SPORT and FITT principles of training
• Periodisation – off season, pre season, peak season and transitional period
• Planning a training session:- warm up, main activity and cool down
• Examples of training programmes and sessions

Unit 5

• Factors affecting Sporting Performance
• Factors affecting sporting performance – Age, Gender, Personality, Lifestyle, Environment, Injury, Illness, Diet, Body Type and Drugs
• Social Drugs:- how smoking and alcohol affect sporting performance
• Other social drugs and their effect on sporting performance
• Types of performance enhancing drugs
• Examples and effects of performance enhancing drugs
• Blood doping

Unit 6

• Safety in Sport
• How to prevent injury:- environment, clothing and equipment, fair competition, obeying the rules and warm up and cool down
• Causes of sports injuries
• Accidental injuries, overuse injuries, chronic injuries
• Examples of sports injuries:- soft tissue, skin and Hard tissue injuries
• Injuries, symptoms and treatment
• RICE procedure
• More serious injuries
• Assessing the casualty’s condition – DRACB
• How to treat an unconscious casualty
• Emergency action plan
• Other conditions that can influence sports performance

Unit 7

• Diet and Nutrition
• A balanced diet
• The essential groups of nutrients
• Macronutrients and Micronutrients
• Diet and exercise
• The importance of each nutrient for exercise
• Energy and diet:- metabolic rate and physical activity level
• Energy in food
• Energy equations
• The athlete’s diet:- day of competition, after the event and Glycogen loading
• Common eating disorders
• Healthy eating
• Food pyramids
• Examples of diets

Unit 8

• Body systems – the skeletal system
• Outline of the different body systems
• The human skeleton
• Functions of the skeleton: Ossification
• Cartilage
• Types of bone
• The skeletal frames:- axial and appendicular
• Exercise and the bones
• Definitions of fixed, slightly movable and synovial joints
• A typical synovial joint structure
• Movement patterns at synovial joints
• How exercise can help improve the skeletal system

Unit 9

• The muscular system
• Functions of muscles
• Types of muscle tissue
• Skeletal muscles – structure and functions
• Muscular contractions:- isotonic, isometric and isokinetic
• How muscles are attached to bones
• Muscle fibres:- slow and fast twitch
• Characteristics of muscle fibres and exercises they relate to
• Major muscles in the human body:- location and function
• Exercises to strengthen the muscles
• Benefits of warming up the muscles

Unit 10

• The Cardiovascular System
• What parts of the body make up the Cardiovascular System
• Functions of the Cardiovascular System
• The double pumping action of the heart
• Pulmonary circulation
• Systemic circulation
• Structure of the heart
• Blood flow through the heart
• Blood vessels:- arteries, veins and capillaries
• Heart rate – measuring the pulse
• What happens to our Cardiovascular System when we exercise
• Long term effects of training on the Cardiovascular System
• Components and functions of blood
• Blood Pressure – measuring Blood Pressure
• Factors affecting Blood Pressure

Unit 11

• The Respiratory System
• Structure of the Respiratory System
• Pulmonary ventilation
• The mechanics of breathing
• Inspiration and expiration
• External respiration
• Internal respiration
• Capacity for exchanging gases
• The Respiratory System as we exercise

Unit 12

• The Digestive System
• What is digestion?
• Energy molecules in food
• Chemical digestion
• Physical digestion
• The digestive process
• Parts of the Digestive System and their functions
• Food enzymes
• Digestive enzymes
• The Digestive System and exercise

Unit 13

• The Nervous System
• Basic functions of the Nervous System
• Parts of the Nervous System
• The Central Nervous System – parts of the brain
• The Spinal Cord
• The Peripheral Nervous System:- Sympathetic and Autonomic Nervous Systems
• Reflex actions and conditioned reflexes
• Receptor organs
• The Nervous System and Sport

Unit 14

• The Endocrine System
• Hormones
• Hormone producing organs and body parts
• The Endocrine System and exercise

Unit 15

• Stress and Anxiety in Sport
• Defining Anxiety – Cognitive and Somatic
• Types of Anxiety
• Anxiety and Sport
• The causes of Stress
• Symptoms of Stress
• Stress management

No prior knowledge or experience is required.