Fitness Instructor Class Offers Health Advice to Faculty

The “American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Health Fitness Instructor” is a class at Southwestern Adventist University where ten students are learning to administer health-related fitness tests, and prescribe an exercise program based on fitness test results. Forty faculty members on campus have the opportunity to place their health and wellness into the guidance of these students, meanwhile saving more than $100 each.

Each student has been assigned the project of accepting four clients from the faculty at Southwestern and giving them health advice. They will measure blood pressure, body composition, cardiovascular fitness, muscular fitness and flexibility in a testing lab. All test results will be confidential, but the clients will be able to receive feedback.  It’s a great opportunity for faculty to save money (Some health clubs charge over $100 to have these tests done, students will administer tests for free.) and for students to get experience.

Vesa T. Naukkarinen, kinesiology department chair, says, “Research has proven that health-related fitness has a very important role in the treatment and prevention of more than 40 chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, obesity and hypertension.  So it is important for us to discover our current health-related fitness level to see if and where we need to make any improvements.”

Share this: