BEFORE YOU START: As a reminder, before beginning the Personal Fitness Merit Badge, it is recommended that you complete the physical fitness requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class beforehand. Also, many Personal Fitness counselors want to review your fitness plan BEFORE you begin tracking, so please reach out to your counselor before beginning requirement #7.
Below are two resource to help you complete the Personal Fitness Merit Badge: a few different fitness tracking logs for you to choose from, and a youth-appropriate BMI calculator.
Fitness Tracking Logs
You are always welcome to use the tracking sheets found in your merit badge workbook or to create your own to suit the way you think about your fitness program. However, depending on the level of variety in your workout, you may prefer to choose one or the other of the tracking logs below, or to mix and match as desired.
 |
 |
The USScouts/MeritBadge.org Personal Fitness Merit Badge Workbook includes a basic logs for both personal measurements and daily fitness activity. |
 |
 |
ScouterMom has posted alternative tracking sheets on her website which provide more space for scouts to provide freeform commentary on their daily fitness routines. |
 |
 |
Troop 28 has our own Excel version of the Personal Fitness Tracking Log. If you enter your name, starting date, and the categories of exercise (e.g., stretching, cardio), the log will automatically populate with dates and headings for you to print. |
Teen BMI Calculator
There are many BMI calculators available in the Internet, but many are not accurate for children and teens. The CDC's youth-adjusted BMI calculator is included below. Per the CDC, “This calculator provides BMI and the corresponding BMI-for-age percentile on a CDC BMI-for-age growth chart…BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems. This calculator provides BMI and the corresponding weight category. Use this calculator for children and teens, aged 2 through 19 years old.”
Note: Please keep in mind that this BMI calculator is not meant to serve as a source of clinical guidance and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Because BMI is based on weight and height, it is only an indicator of body fatness. Individuals with the same BMI may have different amounts of body fat. Persons may consider seeking advice from their healthcare providers on healthy weight status and to consider individual circumstances.
Because of possible rounding errors in age, weight and height, the results from this calculator may differ slightly from BMI-for-age percentiles calculated by other programs.
