I’ll be honest, it’s been slow going on the learning front this month. I’ve really struggled to find the time to sit down and really concentrate on my learning, and I’m a bit disappointed that I haven’t covered more ground. However, I have successfully passed my first worksheet!
I’ve been working on my iPad using the Fitness Industry Education app, as I’ve found it’s the best way to learn on the go. I can use it on the bus, at home or wherever I can get wifi when I’m out and about. If you’re considering doing a long-distance learning course, ask if they have an app. I can’t recommend it highly enough! The format is really easy to navigate and the interactive diagrams and memory games make it a fun and engaging way to learn. I found it useful to scribble a few things down on a notepad as I went along to jog my memory later and ensure I was really taking the information in.
The first topic the course covers is the skeleton – appropriately enough for this time of year! So this month I’ve been learning about the different bones and their purpose, as well as the effect exercise has on the bones. While there are a few bits and bobs that I’m well versed in thanks to my day-to-day work as a health and fitness writer, it’s been great to start filling some of the gaps in my knowledge – and to refresh some of the areas I thought I knew really well!
For example, I can talk fairly comfortably about osteoporosis and the way in which exercise programmes can be tailored to reduce a person’s risk of suffering from it, but my knowlege of the actual make-up of the skeleton and the bones themselves is (or was!) hit and miss at best! It’s great to fill those gaps and I feel asthough I’m developing a better understanding of the amazing impact exercise can have on the body already.
At the end of every section there’s a short worksheet, which you have to complete and pass before you move on. Thankfully I got through it without a problem and, now that I’ve boned up (sorry!) on the basics of the skeleton, I’m raring to get going on the next section.
However I have decided I need to up my game and recommit to my original plan of setting aside set days and hours to study – otherwise my good intentions seem to get lost in a sea of work, workouts and social occasions. It’s time to get moving!
Fancy a career change? Check out fitnessindustryeducation.com for a great range of PT courses.
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