After going to much trouble to keep fit, you’d be dying to know whether your goal is realized. How do you check this? Using a weight scale is rather misleading because your weight will be less if you are dehydrated. Feeling good is sometimes a good indication of fitness. But it still does not give you more than a general idea.
What do you measure?
Being able to measure your fitness level accurately is one factor that will motivate you and help you to structure your training. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, four important aspects of physical fitness should be evaluated before starting an exercise program:
1. Aerobic fitness
2. Flexibility
3. Muscular fitness and
4. Body composition
To reach any target, you have to first understand where you are. In the same way, knowing how you measure up in these four areas can help to reach a higher level of fitness.
How to measure
Get the following items to start your fitness assessment: stopwatch, flexible measuring tape, yardstick, thick sticky tape, pen and paper. Get help from a family member or friend to do the flexibility test.
a) Aerobic fitness:First, record your pulse (on the wrist) within 15 seconds by using the watch. Multiplying this figure by 4 gives you the heart rate per minute. Then, take a one mile walk, whether it’s on your own or on the treadmill. If you have an electronic device that displays the pulse, you can just wear it before your walk.
Note down the time taken (in minutes and seconds) for your walk and also the pulse when you are done. Repeat this process as you continue your training.
b) Muscular fitness:Push-ups are one way to measure the strength in your muscles. If you are fit enough, try toe push-ups. Keep your back straight and keep count of each pushup. When you can’t heave up on your hands anymore, stop and record the number of pushups you’ve done.
c) Flexibility:The sit-and-reach test is an easy way to test flexibility of the legs, hips and lower back. Attach a yardstick to the floor and using tape, mark the 15 inches line. Sit down, with the soles of your feet parallel to this mark. Tell your ‘assistant’ to hold your knees down firmly and reach out past your toes. You need to hold that position for at two seconds, and then straighten up. Looking at the yardstick, record the distance you reached. Repeat this activity two times and write down your best distance.
d) Body composition: Measure the waist at the level of the naval. A value of over 40 inches (12 cm) is unhealthy and can mean that you are at risk of high blood pressure. Knowing your body mass index (BMI) is also helpful. It can be calculated with this formula:
BMI = weight (lb) * 703 / height 2 (in2)
To effectively monitor your fitness level, do each of these tests every 3-6 months.
