Fortunately, the experts have come up with ways to gauge fitness in several tests. Each focuses on different areas of focus. Using some or all of them will give you interesting information on your fitness level. The ones I feature below are a good cross-section of tests available. Look online to find more.
Fitness focal points show different things. Aerobic fitness indicates your 'wind' or stamina during exercise. Muscle endurance shows how well your muscles recover after exercise. Muscle strength measures how strong they are. Body Mass Index shows our body composition, crudely, but it helps. Flexibility, usually overlooked, measures your range of motion. This will indicate whether you will be prone to injury. And a fun one-- Lifestyle-- shows how well you will age based on your current lifestyle choices.
Cautions: Don’t take these tests if you are on a drug
that prevents your heart rate from rising.
Stop immediately and seek medical attention if you feel pain, skipped
heartbeats, excessive weakness or fatigue, dizziness, nausea, faintness,
light-headedness, or persistent pain or pressure in you chest, shoulder, arm,
neck or jaw.
Let's examine these fitness tests and how they are administered.
Aerobic
Fitness Test—The One Mile Walk
(Reader's Digest, Live Longer, Live Better, 1995. pp 96-101.)
Designed for healthy adults, this
test involves walking a mile as fast as you can without straining. Find a flat, measured course—a track is
ideal. Use a stopwatch to record your
time. Women’s ratings:
|
Excellent
|
Less
than 13:10
|
|
Good
|
13:10-14:40
|
|
High
Average
|
14:40-16:20
|
|
Low
Average
|
16:10-17:35
|
|
Fair
|
17:35-19:05
|
|
Poor
|
More
than 19:05
|
Muscle
Endurance—The Step Test
(Reader's Digest, Live Longer, Live Better, 1995. pp 96-101.)
Using a sturdy step or box 12
inches high, step up, up and down, down, 24 times a minute for 3 minutes. Take your pulse for one minute to determine
your heart’s response and speed of recovery right after undergoing this
endurance exercise. Women’s ratings:
|
Grade
|
Age
30-39
|
Age
40-49
|
Age
50-59
|
Age
60-69
|
|
Excellent
|
77
or less
|
79
or less
|
85
or less
|
89
or less
|
|
Good
|
78-99
|
80-100
|
86-105
|
90-108
|
|
Average
|
100-109
|
101-112
|
106-115
|
109-118
|
|
Fair
to Poor
|
110-126
|
113-126
|
116-131
|
119-131
|
Muscle
Strength—Sit ups and Push ups
(Reader's Digest, Live Longer, Live Better, 1995. pp 96-101.)
Using proper form, count how many sit ups and push ups you can do in one minute. Reasonably good condition—can do 15 to 20 (each) sit ups and push ups.
Body Composition—Body Mass Indicators (CDC.com)
BMI= Weight in pounds x 703
(Height inches)x (Height
inches)
|
< 18.5
|
Underweight
|
|
18.5-24.9
|
Normal
|
|
25.0-29.9
|
Overweight
|
|
30.0 +
|
Obese
|
Flexibility—Reaches
Sit and reach—stretch your
arms slowly forward, do not bounce or strain.
If you can reach 6 inches past your feet—excellent; touch your feet—very
good; fall short of feet by 1-6 inches—average; by more than 6 inches—below
average.
Hands across the back—place
one hand behind your neck. Put the other
with the palm facing outward behind your back.
Try to connect the fingers of both hands. Switch hands and try again. Rate yourself as follows: hands clasped—excellent; fingers
touching—good; 1-3 inches apart—average; several inches apart—fair to poor.
Lifestyle Questionnaire—Real age Calculator
Oprah Winfrey posted a quiz to determine what your 'real age' is. Real Age Calculator
Want to track your progress in improving these assessments? I have a dandy chart to do just that. Print it out on card stock and measure these monthly to see how your exercise program is doing. Your numbers should improve steadily.
We all want to dance into our retirement years, not roll in within a wheelchair. Let's do what we need to do to improve our health and fitness, and then maintain it at the level we want.
Photo courtesy of microsoft.com
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