American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

 Issue: September 2004

Obtaining, Maintaining, and Advancing Your Fitness Certification
Patricia Pierce & Susan Herman

Abstract:
Public awareness of health, fitness, and exercise has increased and the fitness industry has expanded in recent years. Yet, ironically, the health of our nation continues to deteriorate. Now more than ever there is the need for qualified fitness professionals to help individuals to improve or maintain health and fitness. Since fitness professionals may possess different backgrounds and training, it is imperative for them to establish credibility. One way that they can demonstrate knowledge and competence is by obtaining fitness certifications. However, with so many fitness certifications available it can be cumbersome for the prospective consumer to determine those that are credible. The purpose of this article is to enlighten the readers on the topic of fitness certification. The focus is to explore the fitness certification continuum by defining certification, previewing the certification process, identifying several credible certifying organizations, and discussing strategies to maintain certification and promote professional growth.

Article category: Professional Issues