Exercise Science

What Is Exercise Science?

Exercise Science is all about how exercise and the human body interact—that is, how diet, age, condition of health, and exercise relate to each other.  The focus is on how movement contributes to the overall well-being of the body by looking at prescribed or recommended exercises that can occur at home or in a health facility.  These may have the goal of either improving one’s ability in a sport or to rehab from an injury or life condition.

With recent trends, the field itself is broadening to include not only the movements performed in exercise routines but also the movement that is done daily just to perform the functions of life.  Research has shown that people in our culture have become somewhat sedentary because of all the modern conveniences.  Many of us combat that with an exercise program—jog 3 mornings a week, swim at the Y, play pick-up sports after school or work—but there are also ways to restructure our lives so we get a full-range of movements through just living. This is what our bodies need.

If you are an athlete or just someone who is physically active, you may want to study Exercise Science.  There are all kinds of possible degree levels, from the Associate’s degree which will prepare you to assist clients in a health club, to the Bachelor’s degree to work as a personal trainer or run a fitness facility, to a graduate-level degree where you may be qualified to consult with other professionals to design movement programs and to conduct research in the field.  With the aging of the population there should be good opportunities in this field for a long time.