A Holistic Approach to Mental Health

Please note: This course content was originally presented at the ACE Health and Fitness Summit: A Holistic Approach to Mental Health, a live, virtual event. 

Take the lead in supporting clients’ mental well-being

As the conversation around mental health grows, health and exercise professionals have an exciting opportunity to positively impact people’s mental well-being and overall health through services and programming while staying within their scope of practice. From nutrition, movement, breath, sleep and connectedness, there are many ways to help clients focus on their mental health. This course offers insight from five industry experts who share their knowledge about various factors of wellness that can impact your clients’ mental health. Through each session, you’ll learn how to expand your offerings and assist your clients in their quest for better mental health and wellbeing.

Content includes:

Module 1: Linking Nutrition and Mental Health

Presented by: Rachele Pojednic, PhD, Associate Professor and Program Director of Exercise Science at Norwich University and Director of Scientific Research at Restore Hyperwellness 

Establish an understanding of how specific nutrients, dietary patterns, quality of diet and supplementation may impact mental health.

Module 2: Movement for Mental Health

Presented by: Karson McGinley, E-YRT 500 Yoga Educator and Founder of Happy-U 

Learn about movement and its role in mental health, thelong- and short-term effects of exercise on stress, mood, depression and brain health.

Module 3: Brain and Mental Health: What’s Sleep Got To Do With It?

Presented by: Ryan Glatt, MS, Certified Personal Trainer, National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Brain Health Coach and Director of the FitBrain Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute 

Understand the relationships between sleep, mental health, and brain health and how health and exercise professionals can begin to address healthy sleep behaviors with clients, while remaining in their scope of practice.

Module 4: Breathing for Better Mental Health

Presented by: Erika Quest, Owner of LevelUp MVMT, Pilates Comprehensive Certification (NCPT), and Balanced Body Educator 

Explore how breath can be used to improve mental health, decrease anxiety and stress, regulate the nervous system, and improve focus and performance.

Module 5: Making Connections for Mental Health

Presented by: Reena Vokoun, B.B.A., M.S., ACE Certified Health Coach and Group Fitness Instructor, ACE Fitness Nutrition and Behavior Change Specialist, ACE Brand Ambassador and Founder & CEO of Passion Fit 

Learn how to create connection in your health/fitness community, and combine movement, nutrition, mindfulness, and sleep practices to support your clients on their journey.

Upon completion, you will be able to:

• Recognize how the brain, gut and associated hormones may affect mental health 
• Reframe your approach to physical activity to impact your clients’ mental health as much as their physical health 
• Define mental health and brain health and identify the various components of sleep 
• Understand how breath affects physiology, mental health and performance
• Identify how mental, physical and emotional health are interconnected and how connectedness can improve mental wellbeing

CEC Credits

Approved by the following organizations for continuing education hours:

5.0 CECs

ACSM - American College Of Sports Medicine CEC Approval

The American College of Sports Medicine's Professional Education Committee certifies that "American Council on Exercise" meets the criteria for official ACSM Approved Provider status from (2021 - December 2023). Providership # 687637