Sports Nutrition - Distance Learning

Course details

The most important goal of Sports Nutrition is to enhance performance -

• Improved performance by improving body composition, increasing speed, mobility and strength.
• Increased speed of recovery, in turn creating more capacity for practicing and competition as the body is becoming more fit and adjusted to the coupling of the good nutrition incorporated into the workout regime.
• Increased energy for both practice and competition, helping one's performance.

Strategic diet will also increase immunity, allowing one to stay healthy and be able to continue and intensify practice and training. Most importantly, it will improve the overall health. It is important for an athlete to maintain weight by increasing muscle and decreasing fat. Weight gain places strain on cardiovascular and respiratory systems which slows an athlete down and creates more stress on the body. While weight loss means that a person is not getting enough nutrients to sustain the body causing poor recovery and extreme fatigue. An athlete does this by eating foods high in protein, complex carbohydrates and other micronutrients. Most of all athletes should eat foods that have the most nutritional benefit for the amount of calories in it.

The Sports Nutrition course is designed to provide the learner with a sound knowledge of the concepts of nutrition, in relation to the energy sources and amounts required for active living, exercise, sport and weight management.

Qualifications Gained

• FETAC Level 6 Component Certificate in Sports Nutrition

Entry Requirements

• Entry to this course is by direct application to the college. There are no previous academic requirements.

Course Content Modules

• Energy Sources for Sport and Exercise
• Concepts of Nutrition and Digestion
• Common terminology associated with nutrition and the nutritional requirements of active people
• Nutrition and fluid intake
• Role of the macro-nutrients as energy sources in exercise and sport
• Optimal food and fluid intake before, during and after exercise.
• Weight Management for Sport & Exercise
• Utilise and evaluate common methods for assessing energy intake and energy expenditure
• Design appropriate nutrition programmes for different sporting and weight management needs
• Micro Nutrients, Supplements, Ergogenic Aids
• Understand the concepts involved in mineral and vitamin supplementation
• Investigate the potential versus actual benefits of taking nutritional ergogenic aids for exercise

Assessment Criteria

• A combination of module appropriate assessment procedures will facilitate the assessment of learning outcomes of the course. These methods will include a combination of continuous assessment of course work through assignments and a short written examination. All assignments will be designed to maximize the learner's skills and understanding of the Sports Nutrition course.