Fitness- and Exercise-Related Careers

1. Fitness- and Exercise-Related Careers Chapter 13

2. Fitness- and Health-Related Careers • What are the responsibilities of a fitness or exercise specialist? • What are the opportunities available for someone pursuing a therapy-related career? • How does one increase their marketability for fitness-, health-, and therapy-related careers?

3. Program Areas • Preventive programs • Specialists work with healthy populations to increase their level of fitness. • Sites: Corporate fitness centers, commercial fitness centers, and community agencies (YMCA/YWCA) • Rehabilitative programs • Work with individuals who exhibit the effects of coronary heart disease focusing on attaining a functional state of living and an enhanced quality of life. • Sites: Hospitals, medical clinics or community agencies affiliated with corporate fitness centers.

4. Wellness Program Components • Fitness development and maintenance • Educational efforts • Health promotion • Lifestyle modification • Recreational sport opportunities

5. Program Aspects • Medical screening • Fitness and lifestyle assessment • Goal setting • Supervised group programs • Educational classes • Motivation and reinforcement Institute of Aerobics Research

6. Exercise Program Specialist Responsibilities • Direct program • Train and supervise staff • Budget responsibilities • Facility management • Marketing • Evaluation • Individual exercise prescriptions • Evaluate and counsel on lifestyle • Data collection and analysis

7. Worksite Health Programs • 46% of all worksites offer programs • 38% of small corporations • 68% of large corporations • Potential to reach over 142 million adults • Convenient for employees • Offers peer and social support • Economic benefits to corporations • Reduced injury rates, lower workman’s compensation costs, and reduced health care costs • Enhancement of workplace morale, retaining employees

8. Core Programs Worksite Wellness • Back care and injury prevention • Exercise & fitness • Stress management • Smoking control • Substance abuse • Weight management • Medical self-care • Consumer health education • Cholesterol reduction • Nutritional intervention • Select biometrics screening • Hypertension management

9. WELCOA Program Suggestions • Voluntary participation • Continuous marketing • Sensitivity to individual differences • Frequent evaluation • Modeling of healthy behavior by staff • Recognition and reward • Record-keeping • Balance between fun and clinically significant programs • Personalize the program

10. Commercial and Community Fitness Programs (IHRSA) • 30,022 clubs • 45.5 million members • 18-34 years comprise 33% of membership • 35-54 years comprise 34% of membership • Females make up the majority of membership • 51% membership has income over $75,000/year • U.S. health club revenues $19.1 billion

11. Popular Fitness Programs at Clubs From IHRSA/

12. Personal Trainers • Work in private and public settings: • Conducting fitness assessments. • Developing specific goals with clients. • Designing programs for goal attainment. • Coaching clients through workouts. • Monitoring progress of goals. • Growing use of the Internet, email, and phone to hire personal trainers and report results for convenience.

13. Strength and Conditioning Professionals • “Assess, motivate, educate, and train athletes for the primary goal of improving sport performance.” (NSCA) • Competencies necessary in the areas of: • Scientific foundations of sport/exercise and nutrition • Exercise leadership and program design • Sport psychology to maximize performance • Risks of performance-enhancing substances

14. Rehabilitation Programs • Clinical exercise physiologists work mainly in hospitals and clinics. • Work closely with physicians to meet the needs of diverse clients. • To plan rehabilitation programs, they must be familiar with: • Medical aspects of clients disease or condition • Limitations faced by clients • Drugs commonly used to treat the disease/condition and their effects • Psychological aspects of exercise on the clients

15. Career Preparation • Education • Undergraduate and graduate education in exercise science, fitness and cardiac rehabilitation, etc. • Various certifications offered by: • ACSM • YMCA • AFAA • NSCA • Practical experience • Professional involvement

16. Athletic Training • Prevention of Injuries • Supervision of conditioning programs • Advising coaches and athletes • Assist with preseason physicals • Checking equipment and facilities for safety • Rehabilitation • Administers therapeutic treatments and monitors progress. • Motivate and encourage throughout recovery • Record-keeping of injury status and history of injury • Certification - NATA

17. Health and Weight-Management Clubs & Spas • Sites ~ resorts, hotels, mineral springs, and cruise ships. • Are they only seeking your money? • Offer fitness activities, graded exercise tests, instruction in sport activities, exercise classes • Diet and nutritional counseling, stress management, massages • Growth of commercial diet centers focused on weight reduction.

18. Therapy-Related Careers • Dance therapy • Recreational therapy • Kinesiotherapy • Physical Therapy • Chiropractor • Prerequisites may be required prior to admission for advanced study • Volunteer hours may be required for program admission

19. Increasing Professional Marketability • Additional courses in health and related areas • Certification • ACSM, First Aid/CPR, NATA, NSCA • Build on one’s interests and strengths • Practical experience • Internships, fieldwork, and volunteering • Gain diverse experiences