Health and Wellbeing Distance Learning Course
COURSE STRUCTURE
" I have never found the staff at any other learning institution as supportive as the staff at ACS. This gives one a lot of peace of mind and confidence to go on - at every squeak from my side, you guys have always been there, immediately to sort me out. The feedback on my lessons has always been really good and meaningful and an important source of my learning. Thanks!..."
- Student with ACS
COURSE CONTENT
Eight lessons as follows:
1. Industry Overview
Scope of the health and fitness industries
Defining fitness
Resources and networking
Aerobic fitness
2. Modern Lifestyle Problems
Health risks and physical activity
Hazardous substances
Cancer
Food allergies
Health care strategy for an aging population
Wellbeing of special demographic groups: pregnant women, children, obese people, people with disabilities etc
3. Human Nutrition
Overview
Nutrition basics
Carbohydrates, proteins, fats
Dietary fibre, vitamins, mineralsBalanced diet
The food pyramid
Principles of weight loss
Dietary protein intake and physical activity
Food combining
4. Healthy Eating
Nutrition and diet problems
Anorexia
Obesity
Nutritive value with cooking and processing
Meat
Fish
Milk
Plant foods
Processing food
Canning and pasteurisation
Freezing, drying, etc
5. Stress Management
Body changes caused by stress
Muscle response
Gastrointestinal response
Cardiovascular response
Stress management program
Easy living
Stress cures
Drugs and alcohol
Relaxation
6. Preventative Health
Responsibility for your own health
Self esteem
Managing your own career
Decision making
Emotional security
Problem solving
Personal style inventory
Motivations and barriers for exercise
7. Alternative Medicine
Overview
Herbal medicines
Aromatherapy
Complimentary therapies
Accupressure
Pain points; trigger points
Acapuncture
Homeopathy
Osteopathy
Chiropractic
Physiotherapy
Counselling and psychological therapies
Relaxation therapies
Other therapies
8. Basic First Aid
Overview
Soft tissue injuriesWounds
Shock and fainting
Fractures
Strains, sprains and dislocations
Heat and cold
Recuscitation
Drowning
Eye injuries
Spinal injuries
Health promotion at work
What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.
You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.
You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
COURSE AIMS
- Describe the nature and scope of the Health and Fitness Industry
- Discuss a range of modern lifestyle problems
- Describe nutritional requirements for a well balanced diet
- Determine appropriate dietary requirements for different demographic groups.
- Describe stress management strategies for different people.
- Outline basic preventative strategies and how they can be implemented
- Evaluate the usefulness of alternative medical practices in treating and preventing illness.
- Recommend first aid practices appropriate to a range of problems.
WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS COURSE
This course aims to develop an understanding of health and wellbeing that can be applied to design a personal fitness program. Below is a list of some activities and tasks that you will complete in this course:
Create a resource file of health and fitness related businesses, contacts, services etc.Interview people to learn how they rate their health and fitness and what they do improve/maintain them.Identify ways to overcome a health/fitness problem in your own life.Identify different food allergies and ways to deal with them.Identify eating and nutritional disorders and describe possible treatments.Explain how age, level of activity, gender and other factors affect their dietary needs.Explain the principle of food combining.List the effects of alcohol abuse.Explain how high self esteem is achieved, and consider positive and negative effects.Identify services in your area that offer natural therapies and what they entail.Find out what first aid courses are available in your region, and what is entailed.List items that should be kept in a basic first aid kit.Describe the procedure for dealing with a broken bone.
Sample from Course
STRESS MANAGEMENT
Aim
Describe stress management strategies for different people.
STRESS – body changes
When humans are under stress their bodies will respond in a way that generally works towards counteracting or overcoming the problems causing the stress, however it is possible to ignore the indications that stress is occurring, and thereby suffer from a breakdown in bodily functions.
Common signs of may include:
Nervousness/’edginess’
Nail biting
Cold hands and feet
Muscle tension
Lack of energy/fatigue
Headaches
Humans have instinctive actions when under threat just as all animals have, commonly referred to as "The flight or fight response". They will either run or fight when confronted with danger. In doing so, they burn up the stress hormones released in their bodies. People work themselves till their bodies respond with "signals" such as tiredness, appetite, etc. Then automatically they would react to these responses, for example by sleeping or eating.
Modern humans suffer physical arousal (i.e. physical changes to the body) when put into stressful situations such as: running late for work, driving in peak hour traffic, dealing with staff, getting work completed on time, arguing with their spouses, paying bills, etc. These things might not be real physical threats, but they can nevertheless bring about physical changes in the body. These changes tend to stay with us for a long period of time and are not easily removed through natural body reactions.
Modern humans with their new technology, do less physical work, stimulate themselves when tired (television, food, alcohol), and eat when they are not hungry, etc. This actually goes against all natural feelings and signals from the brain. Humans are actually depriving themselves, and this is a major psychosocial cause of stress. Another psychosocial cause of stress is "adaptation" overload where people are being faced by constant or rapid change whether it is social, cultural, technological, etc.
There are also biological causes of stress such as poor nutrition, and the effects of pollutants, drugs (e.g. alcohol, prescription and non prescription drugs, tobacco, etc.) and loud noise on the body.
There are damaging effects to human bodies caused by such stress. These include reduced resistance to disease; pathological changes such as the development of ulcers, heart problems and emotional problems such as depression or aggressive behaviour.
There are three well-defined stages of stress -
1. The alarm reaction stage when the body mobilises for action, and sends "signals" indicating stress is occurring.
2. The resistance stage (adaptation). The body tries to adapt to overcome the stress. The stress
response generally appears in a particular part of the body, for example in the brain or stomach.
3. Exhaustion stage through continuous alarm reaction and resistance the body system or organ begins to breakdown, for example the development of an ulcer, or the onset of a heart attack.
DURATION: 100 hours
More Information on ACS Distance Education and our courses
Who are our tutors?
Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “The School” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.
Sample Course Notes
Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.
What learning method should I choose?
We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Enrolment” box above, then “Learning Methods.”
How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.
Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”
What Do Our Students think of us?
If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.
I don’t think this is the right course for me.
If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.
You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.
If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk
Recognition and Accreditation
For more information on our recognition and accreditation, click on “The School”, then “Recognition”.
Who is ACS Distance Education?
If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”
Health and Wellbeing Home Study Course
This comprehensive introductory course develops an understanding of the nature and scope of human health and wellbeing, and of the health and fitness industry looking at subjects such as nutrition, lifestyle, preventative health, and alternative medicine.
Health and Fitness are simply some of many the different words used to describe people being in good condition. There are many different services and products on offer which promise to improve or maintain a state of wellbeing, and any (or all) of these goods and services might be considered to be part of the health and fitness industry. These can include things as variable as medical services through to sport, recreation and food.
The Health and Fitness industry is not a clearly defined industry. It does have many aspects to it, and it does overlap into many different fields. Your perception of the scope of this field may be limited as you commence this course; but on completing the course it should have broadened considerably; and in doing so your prospects for employment should have also broadened.
