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| Personal Fitness*
If meeting any of the requirements for this merit badge is against the Scout's
religious convictions, it does not have to be done if the boy's parents and proper church
officials state in writing that:
- To do so would be against religious convictions.
- The parents accept full responsibility for anything that might happen because of such
exemption. They release the Boy Scouts of America from any responsibility.
- Before you try to meet any other requirements, have your physician give you a thorough
examination. He or she is to use the Scout medical examination form. Describe the
examination. Tell what questions you were asked about your health. Tell what
recommendations your doctor made. Report what you have done about them. Explain the
- Why physical exams are important
- Why preventative habits are important in maintaining good health
- Diseases that can be prevented and how
- The seven warning signs of cancer
- Have an examination made by your dentist. Get a statement saying that your teeth have
been checked and cared for. Tell how you care for your teeth.
- Explain to your merit badge counselor verbally or in writing what personal fitness means
to you, including
- Components of personal fitness.
- Reasons for being fit in all components.
- What is means to be mentally healthy.
- What it means to be physically healthy and fit.
- What it means to be socially healthy. Discuss several healthy social traits.
- What can you do to prevent social, emotional, or mental problems.
- From the Personal Fitness merit badge pamphlet, answer the questions titled
"Evaluating Your Personal Fitness" and list several signs of poor personal
fitness. Describe your activity in the eight areas listed at the end of the chapter titled
- With your counselor answer and discuss the following questions:
- Are you free from all curable diseases? Are you living in such a way that your risk of
preventable diseases is minimized?
- Are you immunized and vaccinated according to the advice of your family and school
- Do you understand the meaning of a nutritious diet and know why it is important for you?
Does your diet include foods from all the food groups?
- Is you body weight and composition what you would like it to be and do you know how to
modify it safely through exercise, diet, and behavior modification?
- Do you carry out daily activities without noticeable effort? Do you have extra energy
for other activities?
- Are you free from habits relating to nutrition and the use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs,
and other practices that could be harmful to your health?
- Do you participate in a regular exercise program or recreational activities?
- Do you sleep well at night and wake up feeling refreshed and energized for the new day?
- Are you actively involved in the religious organization of your choice and do you
participate in its youth activities?
- Do you spend quality time with your family and friends in social and recreational
- Do you support family activities and efforts to maintain a good home life?
- Explain the following about physical fitness:
- The components of physical fitness
- Your weakest and strongest component of physical fitness
- The need to have a balance in all four components of physical fitness
- How the components of personal fitness relate to the Scout Laws and Scout Oath
- Explain the following about nutrition:
- The importance of good nutrition
- What good nutrition means to you
- How good nutrition is related to the other components of personal fitness
- The three components of a sound weight (fat) control program.
From the Personal Fitness merit badge pamphlet, perform the
physical fitness test ("Physical Fitness" section) with your patrol leader,
Scoutmaster, parent, or adviser before doing the next two requirements. Be evaluated above
the 50th percentile in the aerobic endurance test, flexibility test, and muscular strength
Aerobic Endurance Test
There are several tests that can used. They are the 9 or 12 minute run and the 1- or
1½-mile run. In the timed run, the objective is to run as far as you can in the allotted
time (9 or 12 minutes). In the distance run, the objective is to run the given distance (1
or 1½ miles) in the shortest time. Walking is permitted but the Scouts should not stop.
If they need to stop running, they should walk until they can continue to run.
By using the sit-and-reach test, boys should remove their shoes and sit down facing the
sit-and-reach box with knees fully extended and flat on the floor and feet up against the
end of the board. The arms are extended forward with the hands placed on top of each other
with palms down. The boy bends at the hips and reaches forward along the measuring scale
four times. Record the farthest reach.
Muscular Strength Test
Using timed sit-ups, the boy lies on his back with knees flexed, feet on the floor, and
heels 12 to 18 inches from the buttocks. The arms are crossed on the chest with the hands
on the opposite shoulders. The feet are held by partners to keep them in touch with the
floor. The boy curls to the sitting position until the elbows touch the thighs. Arms must
remain on the chest and the chin remains tucked on the chest. The number of sit-ups that
the boy can correctly do in 60 seconds is the score.
- Outline a 4-week physical fitness program using the results of your physical fitness
tests. Use the guidelines in the Personal Fitness merit badge pamphlet to write
your program. Use exercises to develop aerobic endurance, upper body muscular strength,
and flexibility of the lower back and legs. Have the program approved by your Scoutmaster
or adviser and your parents.
- Fulfill requirement 1 for this merit badge
- Complete one of the four aerobic endurance tests, the flexibility test, the muscular
strength and endurance test, and the body composition measurements.
- Fill in your results on the record sheet and chart your percentile ranks for each test
(using the norms found in the appendix) on the progress chart.
- Determine the types of exercises you want or need to do, the amount of time you have to
exercise, and the equipment or facilities that are available for your use.
- If muscular strength exercises are to be a part of your program, determine how many
push-ups and pull-ups you can do.
- Use the guidelines discussed in the text concerning cardiovascular endurance,
flexibility, and muscular strength and endurance to determine the frequency, intensity,
and duration of your exercises.
- Write your exercise program out for each day of the week on a sheet of paper. Have it
approved by your adviser or Scoutmaster and parents.
- Retest yourself after 2 full weeks of exercising. Also retest for the number of pull-ups
and push-ups you can do. Record the results of this test on the record sheet and graph the
percentile ranks on the progress chart.
- Retest yourself after another 2 full weeks of exercising and record your results on the
record sheet and progress chart.
- Carry out the physical fitness program you write in requirement 8. Keep a log of all
your exercises (i.e., how long you exercised; how far you ran, swam, or biked; how many
exercises you did; your exercise hear rate; etc.). Test yourself again after two weeks of
exercise on the information sheets provided in the Personal Fitness merit badge
pamphlet. Compare improvements. Describe your experience.
- Describe your long-term plans regarding your personal fitness.