American Council on Exercise (ACE) has released new education designed to combat the trends of rising obesity. According to ACE, both its Youth Fitness and Fitness Nutrition Specialty Certifications provide fitness professionals with the expertise they need to develop effective exercise programs for youth, and healthy eating habits for people of all shapes and sizes.
“The obesity epidemic affects two out of three adults in the U.S. right now, and we know that overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese as they grow older,” said Scott Goudeseune, the president and CEO of ACE. “We want to do our best to prevent that from happening by attacking the epidemic from a variety of angles. These two specialty certifications provide the expertise that parents, coaches and professionals need to not only instill the value of physical activity at an early age, but to help people learn to select and prepare healthy foods for a lifetime.”
Becoming a Youth Fitness Specialist will help fitness professionals gain the knowledge and skills they need to create customized and organized fitness programs for children and teens.
As a Fitness Nutrition Specialist, personal trainers and group fitness instructors can be the source of nutrition information their clients and patients need to navigate a landscape of quick-fix solutions, poor food choices and a multi-billion-dollar diet industry.
According to ACE, Specialty Certifications are intended to complement fitness certifications accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). To earn a specialty certification, health and fitness professionals must complete a series of individual courses created by ACE and its educational partners. Youth Fitness and Fitness Nutrition Specialty Certifications are each equivalent to 2.5 continuing education credits (25 hours of professional development).
