Scholarships, practice and leadership

Information literacy is very important in the health and wellness industry, more specifically in the field of personal training. Being a personal trainer takes very little time and education, and one needs to complete certification to get a relatively high reward. Due to the high pay, the short time required to obtain certification, and the growing demand for improved health in society, there are a large number of personal trainers. In order for personal trainers to stand out and be sought after for their repetitive results and excellent workouts, trainers must be experts in researching information and understanding new research and applications.

In the article "How do we make network generation fail", Badke discusses the World Wide Web, "…weth very few people know what will happen in less than 20 years. Many of our students are Growing up on the web, so it's not new to them. It's the mainstream. It's embedded in their lives" [Badke, 2009, p. 47]. Most personal trainers only complete certification, very limited athletic science information, not a college or university degree. Because of their lack of education, the first place most trainers turn to their information is the World Wide Web, not academic, peer-reviewed research. The Internet is not a reliable source of information. Anyone can write a blog or post fitness training and nutrition information based on opinions rather than scientific research. In order for personal trainers to ensure that they provide safe and effective exercise for their clients, trainers must not only be able to read and research, but also understand the changing information.

One topic not taught in personal training certification is how to find and decipher sound fitness information. Pia Russell discusses how students face the same problems as personal trainers in their studies.

It is difficult for students to assess the excess information available, and they often rely on fast but problematic sources such as Dictionary.com, which can lead to blind acceptance of advertising-based information, or rely on sources of truth in a consensus manner such as Wikipedia. [Russell, 2009, p. 92].

In order for personal trainers to become experts in their field, someone will listen and follow, and trainers need to be up to date on current research. Private trainers need to know how to search for information when faced with their uncertain problems. The work of personal trainers is not only to provide effective exercise, but also to educate their clients through research information.

Larissa Turusheva discusses the importance of information capabilities in lifelong learning and education. In the study of Larissa, she said,

Information skills are a skill:

• determine the size of the necessary information;

• Use the necessary information effectively;

• Critically assess information and its sources;

• Develop your own knowledge base with selected information;

• Effective use of information to achieve goals;

• Use information in an ethical manner [ACRL, 2000]. [Turusheva, 2009, p. 2].

In the field of personal training, every skill involved in information skills is important. Personal trainers must determine what information is important and which information is not. Trainers need to assess the source of the information and apply the necessary information to help the trainer's customers achieve their goals quickly and efficiently. The most important skill that trainers must apply to information skills is the ethical use of information. If the personal trainer knows that their client has a heart condition, it is unethical to coach their clients to do taboo exercises when the coach knows that these exercises put the customer at risk. There are many reasons for this. Trainers may be working with a team and don't want to do alternative exercises, or trainers may want to work harder to drive their customers. Implementing ethical practices is part of the information skills and is extremely important in the personal training profession.

Leo Appleton conducted a study on student midwife information skills. In this study, students learned information research skills and grading requirements became more stringent to promote a reliable source of information. Appleton's research shows that “students' confidence in the use of libraries and information resources has increased. Embedding appropriate and timely information skills training in health research programs can make students independent and lifelong learners and raise their standards. Academic work" [Appleton, 2005, p. 1]. These students are not only able to learn how to effectively search and decipher information during school education, but also to follow their students into their careers in the health field. A private trainer with information capabilities will be able to provide clients with everything they need for long-term success.

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in conclusion

Information literacy is essential in every profession and should be taught and implemented as students go to school. Students need to learn the valuable skills needed to conduct high quality research and decipher materials. These skills will follow the students into their careers, where they will be seen as experts and leaders in their field. Even if students just want to be certified in a certain field, they should be taught during the certification process. Most personal trainers only accept certification and have never learned how to research accurate information. Because of this, the trainer turned to the Internet for answers. In turn, many personal trainers are making recommendations to clients based on opinions rather than research. This practice seriously affects the health of customers and the credibility of personal trainers. Personal trainers must learn literacy skills.

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For your health,

Jessica Summerall

reference

Appleton, L. [2005]. Check the impact of information skills training on the academic work of health research students: a single case study. Health Information and Library Journal, 22[3], 164-172. DOI: 10.1111 / j.1471-1842.2005.00576.x

Badke, W. [2009]. How do we fail the network generation. Online, 33[4], 47-49.

Russell, P. [2009]. Why universities now need information literacy more than ever. Felicity, 55[3], 92.

Turusheva, L. [2009]. Student information literacy and its importance to lifelong education. Education issues in the 21st century, 12126-132.

Personal training and information literacy was originally published on Spring