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Wageningen University

Nutrition, Exercise and Sports

Wageningen University via edX

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Overview

Are you involved in sports or regular exercise and do you want to have a better understanding of the role of nutrition on performance and health? Do you want to learn whether certain nutritional strategies could be relevant for your own athletic performance and/or muscle growth? Are you a dietitian, personal trainer, physiotherapist or a health/sport coach and do you want to be able to provide proper nutritional advice for your clients? Or, are you none of the above but interested in nutrition, exercise and sports and do you want to make your own informed decisions about your daily food intake?

Then this online course Nutrition, Exercise and Sports is for you! Nutrition is crucial to live an active and healthy life, to support training, and to optimize performance. In this online course, researchers and teachers from Wageningen University & Research will familiarize you with the nutritional aspects of exercise and sports. What are the basic concepts in exercise physiology and sport nutrition science? How is exercise being fueled for the different types of sports like; power sports, sprinting and endurance exercise? And how does protein support skeletal muscle mass and performance? In this online course you will learn to estimate energy needs and understand thermoregulation and fluid balance. You will learn about the role of micronutrients and supplements in exercise performance. Moreover, you will be introduced to some health issues related to doing exercise.

This online course also touches upon how the lessons learned from nutrition and sports research can be applied during ageing. For example, what are the benefits of extra protein in vulnerable age groups?

Be aware that this course will not tell you exactly what to eat. Instead, you will learn and understand the nutritional aspects of exercise and sport, so you can make your own informed decisions and critically evaluate nutritional advices and claims.

For whom?

The online course Nutrition, Exercise and Sports is especially useful for:

  • Sport- and health coaches, Physiotherapists and Dietitians
  • People working in the (sport) food industry
  • Athletes and professional sporters
  • Everyone with a healthy appetite for knowledge about nutrition, exercise and sports

Ready to join the MOOC Nutrition, Exercise and Sports? This online course contains several interesting and inspiring interviews with nutrition and sport professionals. It will provide basic understanding of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, and contains challenging assignments that will give you insight in nutritional needs and performance benefits for (your) athletes, your clients or yourself.

Syllabus

Week 1 | Introduction to Sport Nutrition (Science)

Key topics:

An introduction into Sports, Exercise and Nutrition, including types of Sports, Sport Nutrition Pyramid. An introduction into Sport Nutrition Science - including empirical cycle, study designs, critical issues and performance measurements.

Week 2 | Skeletal Muscle, Exercise and Sports

Key topics:

An introduction into Skeletal muscle anatomy & physiology, including contraction and energy transfer. Exercise capacity: Power & Endurance. Cardiopulmonal system during Exercise

Week 3 | Energy and Fluid balance

Key topics:

Energy requirement, energy availability. Thermoregulation, Fluid balance, (de)hydration & rehydration strategies

Week 4 | Macronutrients

Key topics:

Carbohydrates & fats as energy source, nutritional strategies. Skeletal muscle protein metabolism and dietary protein intake.

Week 5 | Micronutrients and ergogenic supplements

Key topics:

Function of micronutrients and recommendations: Iron, Magnesium, calcium and Vitamins D and B. Ergogenic supplements and sports performance

Week 6 | Exercise and Nutrition during ageing

Key topics:

Skeletal muscle and ageing, Protein & Exercise in older adults, Intervention strategies

Taught by

Dr. Marco Mensink, Rieneke Terink MSc and Pol Grootswagers MSc

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Reviews

4.7 rating, based on 1,264 Class Central reviews

4.5 rating at edX based on 34 ratings

Start your review of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports

  • Anonymous
    I am a retired male (age 60) who loss a lot of weight 8 years ago. I am not an athlete and have never participated in any sports. However, for the past 8 years, I've engage in regular intense exercise sessions at my local gym, about 7 hours per week…
  • Anonymous
    This course is really fantastic.I came to know in details the importance of exercise and having healthy food enriched with vitamins,minerals and proteins. I never knew in details as to why it is important to ingest a correct quantity and the time to…
  • Pat Buckley
    3
    I find the course made me sit down and review my own intakes. I'm enjoying the part on aging, too, as I am 65+ though still working and getting fitter right now. I believe I lost some fitness due to a injury a couple years ago. Through this course,…
  • Profile image for David A. Shanks
    David A. Shanks @DavoShanks
    3
    Great insight into athletic performance improvement through nutritional strategies. It will be very valuable to my personal journey in developing better nutritional habits and mountain biking performance.
  • Anonymous
    The course was great. I liked the practical quests very much but I would have liked to see more measurements / experiments which can be done by a non-gym goer. I mean, I can't measure my max strength on 1 repetition of lifting if I don't have weight…
  • Anonymous
    he course Nutrition, Exercise and Sports is engaging, informative, and very practical. It clearly explains how nutrition and physical activity work together to support health and performance at different stages of life. The content is easy to understand, well-structured, and directly applicable to everyday life. I especially appreciated the real-life examples and focus on healthy habits rather than extremes. Overall, this course increased my awareness of how balanced nutrition and regular exercise contribute to long-term well-being, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in improving their health.
  • Anonymous
    I loved everything about this course. It was clear, concise, and extremely cohesive.

    The selected topics were outstanding—engaging, informative, and thoughtfully presented. I even learned several new things, even with a kinesiology degree!

    I hope to one day visit the campus and meet the professors. The course was beautifully illustrated, with excellent examples, and it truly went above and beyond to clarify complex concepts—through experiments, real-world applications, and interviews.

    Thank you for championing the importance of exercise, sport, and nutrition, and for encouraging deeper understanding so we can all work toward better health
  • Anonymous
    This course from Wageningen University provides a high-level, science-driven exploration of how nutrients interact with physical activity to influence performance and health. It is particularly strong in its focus on the "synergistic effect," demonstrating that exercise acts as the stimulus while nutrition serves as the essential facilitator for adaptation.
  • Anonymous
    This course isn't a doddle. It is comprehensive and you need to commit to it. But the benefits you receive will be substantial in acquisition of useful/ applicable knowledge for yourself or others you might train or train with is HUGE.
    The feedback is fantastic and some of the instructors communicate with you to clarify certain aspect of your answers, so you receive correct information before proceeding onto the next topic.
    You are encouraged to explore your own exercise, diet and ? supplementation regime, analysing their appropriateness as well as investigating on the web re other topics.
    I have gained substantial knowledge that I can use both for myself and for instructing others.
  • Anonymous
    I have absolutely loved this course. It is extensive, and very well thought out, with links to studies and other resources. I have learnt an enormous amount, much of which I will incorporate into my lifestyle and training.
  • Anonymous
    Personally found it very enlightening. The information was presented in chunks in an easy to understand format. The presenters did an excellent job in the way the information was provided. The content was excellent and covered all aspects in a very…
  • Anonymous
    The course is excellent. I have learned a lot of applied science. The principles learned during the course will help me to plan macro- and micro-nutrients intake (amount, quality, timing) around exercise. It has also explained some of my observations (hitting the wall, etc).
    The section on aging is also extremely interesting for elder people i know, as well as for my (near) future.
    A big thank you to the teachers!!
  • Anonymous
    Excellent course and I learned many things that can be practically applied to my own endeavors to stay healthy as I age . The course seems to focus mainly on improving the performance of elite athletes although there was a good section on healthy a…
  • Harbans Singh
    3
    Nutrition, exercise & performances are interrelated with each other. The performance of an athlete depends upon the level of exercises in particular sport / event and the proper nutrition provides energy requirement , the performance will be satisfa…
  • Anonymous
    really enjoyed the topic, teachers and the way this course was given. It would have been nicer to have a bit more challenge or depth in the course though.
  • Anonymous
    It's example of a perfect course for introduction in sport and nutrition science. Bu as person who needs more details about this topic I leave 4 stars what means very good, but I need more. And of course I continue to study other courses from this university and not only about this topic.
  • Anonymous
    I enjoyed this course a lot. The format of having relatively short videos (ranging from 2-10 minutes) and practice quizzes with detailed answers really suited my style of learning. I could take frequent breaks, save the videos and work in my own time. I paid to get a verified certificate as i found the information really beneficial for my own personal lifestyle but also my work as a personal trainer. Having proof of where i obtained my knowledge (sources) can sometimes be important.
    I highly recommend this course, even if you choose the free option (same as the paid, just without the exams and certificate).
    Never stop learning! Free education is amazing!
  • Anonymous
    The materials are well-prepared. Very easy to understand. As a practicing medical professional, I appreciate the passion of the team who prepared this class. The instructors spoke very clear and in a detailed but well-understood way of communication. I am looking forward to take more classes from these wonderful instructors.
  • Anonymous
    I really enjoyed the course. It contains important and interesting information on nutrition, exercise, and sports, from anatomy to the nutritional needs of older adults. It also provides excellent calculations of energy expenditure based on the type of physical activity.
    I highly recommend this course. You won't regret it! Thank you so much!
  • Anonymous
    As a 60+ year-old and new 'fitness trainer,' I am finding the information incredibly pertinent not only for my clients but for myself as well. The presentation is well paced and logically segmented. New terms and formulas are driven home by examples and test questions. I am encouraged by Quests in each module to explore beyond the classroom and share my findings. Truly, Wageningen knows how to keep the learner engaged AND learning. Excellent experience all the way around.
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