Nutrition and Physical Activity for Health

Over 65 percent of adults and over 30 percent of children meet the classificationof being overweight or obese, and with this excess weight comes numeroushealth conditions that include heart disease, diabetes, cancer, musculoskeletaldisorders, and even impairments in cognitive function. Because in mostcases the core cause of obesity and its related health conditions is apoor quality of diet and lack of sufficient physical activity, it is nosurprise that to reverse this health problem a foundation of proper nutritionand sufficient physical activity is imperative.

This course is designed to provide a foundation of nutritional knowledgeto develop a sustainable pattern of healthy eating. To this will be addeda foundation of knowledge related to physical activity and exercise. Thesetwo key lifestyle behaviors are then brought together under the umbrellaof calorie balance, which is the understanding of how we balance the caloriesthat we eat in our diet with the calories that we burn to sustain lifeand to perform all of our daily tasks and functions.

Ultimately, this information can only be of value if individuals understandhow to engage in these healthy behaviors within their daily lives whenthey are faced with challenges and barriers. This course will address keyissues and will provide information on effective strategies for adoptingand maintaining these targeted behaviors as they apply to the adoptionand maintenance of a healthy lifestyle.

There are no required textbooks for this course. Please see the list ofrecommended readings and references below. There will also be links toonline documents and resources provided throughout the course.

Week 1:

• Module 1: Linking Nutrition and Physical Activity to Health Outcomes
• Module 2: Assessing Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Body Composition

Week 2:

• Module 3: Macronutrient Considerations: Carbohydrates
• Module 4: Macronutrient Considerations: Proteins

Week 3:

• Module 5: Macronutrient Considerations: Fats
• Module 6: Vitamins

Week 4:

• Module 7: Minerals
• Module 8: Strategies for Improving Nutritional Habits

Week 5:

• Module 9: Physical Activity Consideration: Aerobic vs. Resistance vs.Lifestyle
• Module 10: Strategies for Improving Physical Activity

Week 6:

• Module 11: Calorie (Energy Balance): The Interaction of Nutrition andPhysical Activity

Final Examination