The Body Matters: Why Exercise Makes You Healthy and How to Stay Uninjured (edX)

Did you know that physically active obese individuals live longer than inactive thin individuals? Are you interested in seeing the evidence on the benefits and risks of stretching? What is the best way to treat your ankle, knee, and/or shoulder injury? How does injury affect mood and what are the consequences?

Whether you are a competitive athlete, an aspiring musician or dancer, whether you play for fun or just want to lead an active lifestyle, this course will entertain and challenge you. You will learn the basic and advanced principles of body movement and biological, psychological and social issues related to activity, sport, injury and rehabilitation. The course will include content from leading global experts in multiple fields related to the science of exercise.

What you'll learn:

- An understanding of the benefits of physical activity

- General principles on how to train and how to prevent injuries

- An understanding of how to recover from injury

Course Syllabus

Unit 1: Why is it important to be physically active?

We’ll discuss the benefits of physical activity and challenges in promoting it, as well as general principles on how to train.

Unit 2: What can I do to avoid getting injured?

We’ll start with an in depth explanation of when and why stretching is effective and when it is not. Then we’ll explore errors in training that can lead to injury. The unit wraps up with a discussion of the similarities between athletes, musicians, dancers and circus artists.

Unit 3: What can I do if I get injured?

We’ll discuss what you can do on your own when injured, the importance of rehabilitation and the underlying principles for deciding when it is appropriate to return to activity after an injury.