In this interactive online course you will participate in activities that will help you understand and apply the principles of advanced exercise nutrition. Developed by Marie Dunford, PhD, RD, the course uses the textbook Advanced Exercise Nutrition, Version 1.1 (written expressly for this course by Dunford). The text is provided in PDF format and contains advanced nutrition information that will help you as you work through the course. You will have access to the course and text for one year after initial course access, and you can download the text in order to maintain access to it after that time period.

In this course, you will assume the role of a newly hired fitness trainer at a company called Fitness, Inc., where you will start a five-day orientation to your job. During your orientation period, Jennifer Maxwell, the dietitian at Fitness, Inc., will introduce you to concepts you need to be familiar with to do your job. You will work with five athletes who will share information about their training regimens and dietary habits. You will apply the principles introduced in the course to create individualized food and fluid intake plans. Your training will conclude with a final exam of the key concepts and principles examined in the course.

Advanced Exercise Nutrition, Version 1.1, covers the various dietary recommendations for endurance and strength athletes. The course is based on the nutritional demands of training and outlines the nutritional goals of an adult athlete in training. In this course, special consideration is also given to physiological principles known to influence athletes’ digestion, absorption, and metabolism. A discussion of the vital nutrients for optimal athletic performance—carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water—not only addresses the significance of each nutrient but also takes an integrated approach to show how the nutrients function together. You will see how and why each nutrient supports training and how dietary intake may improve performance. After completing this course, you will know which foods athletes should eat before, during, and after a training session or sport event to maximize training intensity and enhance sport performance.

This updated version of the course includes information on these issues:
• The new food guide pyramid
• Fluid recommendations that emphasize matching fluid intake to fluid loss to avoid both hypohydration and hyponatremia
• Sodium needs
• Key resources and references on exercise nutrition
• Dietary recommendations for recreational athletes