- Make an appointment with your doctor for a complete physical. Explain to your doctor you are preparing to undertake an eight-week physical fitness improvement program.
- Explain at least six principles that guide you in developing a physical fitness program.
- Four components of physical fitness are endurance, strength, flexibility,
and body composition.
- Explain why these components are important to your physical fitness.
- Find a physical fitness professional to administer a fitness test based on these four components. Set physical fitness goals with the help of this professional that can be accomplished in eight weeks. The physical education teachers at school should be able to do this test.
- Develop an eight-week program to accomplish your goals. Use the principles of warm-up, cross-training, cool-down, and regularity.
- Explain the six elements of a good diet.
- Using the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, list six foods from each group.
- Learn to calculate the number of calories you need if you are sedentary, moderately active, or active.
- Explain the common eating disorders anorexia and bulimia and why they are harmful to athletes.
- Explain the hazards of performance-enhancing drugs, including the dangers of using each of the following groups of drugs: stimulants, painkillers, anabolic steroids, beta blockers, diuretics, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine.
- Prevention of injury is important to achieving peak physical performance. Pain is not a normal part of physical development. Soreness and discomfort may be expected, but not pain. Explain how to prevent injury in your fitness program.
- Using what you have learned about physical fitness, teach your crew, a Cub or Boy Scout group, or another group about setting up a physical fitness program.
Above information from Ranger Handbook (No. 33494), 2009 printing.