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Personal Fitness Merit Badge – Important Info

The troop as a whole has started the Personal Fitness merit badge a few weeks ago. This important Eagle required merit badge is quite lengthy and requires some items to be worked on at home, so we are emailing an outline for scouts and parents to print out and have for review.  It is important that all is recorded as stated below or the scout will not be able to earn the badge.  We realize it is a lot to cover, so if you have any questions regarding the badge, please email Dan Fisher at dfisherbroker@bellsouth.net.

 

Personal Fitness Merit Badge Update:

Troop 502 is working on the Personal Fitness Merit Badge, which is required for the rank of Eagle.  This Badge was changed in 2018. Badge requirement #8 is great for scouts to do with their parents or whole family. 

Before a Scout can start this Badge, they must have a health-care practitioner complete a physical examination using the BSA medical examination formEvery scout said they had this, but parents please verify that the troop has a completed BSA Heath Form for your son that is dated within the last 12 months. 

THIS BADGE REQUIRES EACH SCOUT TO KEEP A LOG FOR 12 WEEKS recording fitness program activity (how long you exercised; how far you ran, swam, or biked; how many exercise repetitions you completed; your exercise heart rate; etc.). 

THIS BADGE REQUIRES EACH SCOUT TO RECORD TEST RESULTS EVERY TWO WEEKS: Physical Fitness Tests: the mile run (aerobic fitness), sit and reach (flexibility tests), sit ups, push-ups, pull ups (muscular strength), and BMI calculation. Please have an adult sign off and date. 

Each scout was given a Merit Badge Workbook for completing these required logs and records, making notes and organizing thoughts to discuss completed requirements with merit badge counselor, Mr. Fisher. 

Week One, (May 7) we reviewed REQUIREMENTS #3, #4, #5 and completed #6, Physical Fitness Tests and BMI percentile calculation. Scouts should have copied their personal results from Gray’s spreadsheet. 

Week Two, each scout completed REQUIREMENTS #1a and #7 and should now have a comprehensive 12-week physical fitness program incorporating the endurance, intensity, and warm-up guidelines in the Personal Fitness merit badge pamphlet (available as Kindle EBook) 

IMPORTANT: Weeks 2-12, ARE ON YOUR OWN!  Each scout must regularly/daily do REQUIREMENTS for #8, using the personal 12-week physical fitness program they wrote for requirement #7. 

(If a scout gets injured or sick, they can re-do #6 and re-start their physical fitness program (#7) anytime, but #8 must be done, logged and recorded for a continuous 12 week period.)

 Physical Fitness Tests for requirements 6 and 8 are:

  • Aerobic Fitness Test: run/walk 1 mile as fast as you can and record the time OR run/walk as fast as you can for nine minutes and record the distance.
  • Flexibility Test: Using a sit-and-reach box make four repetitions and hold fourth reach steady for 15 seconds. Record. (Keep knees down.)
  • Strength Tests: Must be done as explained and illustrated in the merit badge pamphlet Strength Tests  You must do sit-ups and one other (either push-ups or pull-ups). You may also do all three for extra experience and benefit.
    1. Sit-ups. Record the number of sit-ups done correctly in 60 seconds.
    2. Pull-ups. Record the total number of pull-ups completed correctly in 60 seconds.
    3. Push-ups. Record the total number of push-ups completed correctly in 60 seconds.
  • Body Composition Evaluation (use Mayo online BMI Calculator  or Calculate your BMI):
    1. Step 1 – Multiply your weight in pounds by 703.
    2. Step 2 – Divide the number you get in Step. 1 by your height in inches.
    3. Step 3 – Divide the number you get in Step. 2 by your height in inches to get your BMI.

As an example, if you weigh 130 pounds, are 5’8″ (68″), then:

1.       130 x 703 = 91390

2.       91390 / 68 = 1344

3.       1344 / 68 = 19.76

This means your BMI is 19.76

 

Other important ON YOUR OWN requirements:

Get a dental examination and statement that your teeth have been checked and cared for (1b).

RESEARCH:

  • Five components of physical fitness
  • How personal fitness relates to the Scout Law and Scout Oath
  • SCOUTStrong® – Healthy Living Initiative
  • Three components of a sound weight (fat) control program
  • Find out about three career opportunities in personal fitness.
  • Find out about the education, training, and experience for one career in personal fitness.

 

Mr. Fisher will be available at meetings and campouts to meet individually, review Merit Badge Workbook and sign-off each requirement as each scout completes them.

 

 

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