Health and Wellness Coaching

Summary

The Health and Wellness Coaching certificate prepares the student for the American Council on Exercise's (ACE) national certification examination for health coaching. This is a valuable supplemental certificate to a personal training or group exercise certification.

The Certificate of Performance in Health and Wellness Coaching is designed to prepare students for careers in health and wellness coaching. Emphasis is placed on providing students with effective communication strategies for explaining and applying the basic principles of physiology and nutrition, as well as emotional, spiritual, social, cognitive, and environmental health. Students create and implement safe and effective healthy eating strategies and exercise plans based on client assessment data. Students also demonstrate effective approaches to modifying behavior-change programs to promote program adherence based on client needs.

Upon successful completion of this program, the student is able to apply knowledge and skill in communication, behavior change, nutrition, weight management, exercise program development, exercise leadership, and disease/injury prevention to health and wellness coaching clients.

To be eligible to take the American Council on Exercise National Certification Examination in Health Coaching, students need to have completed one of the following:

• Pass an accredited certification exam through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA);
• Obtain a license in fitness, nutrition, health care, wellness, human resources or a related field;
• Earn an associate's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in fitness, exercise science, nutrition, health care, wellness, human resources or a related field;
• Complete at least two years of comparable work experience in any of the industries specified above.

Award Notes: A Certificate of Performance is a departmental award that does not appear on the student’s transcript. All courses must be completed within the San Diego Community College District. This program is not eligible for federal financial aid in accordance with Federal regulations.

Learning Outcome(s): Students who complete the Health and Wellness Coaching Program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate movement competence as it relates to physical activity, fitness, and sport.
2. Design exercise programs to improve key fitness components, including cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition.
3. Articulate knowledge of how physical activity influences health across the lifespan, emphasizing its role in chronic disease prevention and quality of life.
4. Apply concepts of wellness, physical activity, and exercise to develop programs that promote overall health and well-being for individuals and communities.
5. Utilize current exercise science technologies, tools and software for assessment, program design, and analysis to enhance learning, performance, and research outcomes.

Requirements