How Fit Am I?
Even if you’re a “normal” weight, that doesn’t mean that you’re fit. Just the same, being “overweight” doesn’t mean that you aren’t fit. Fitness has to do with muscular and cardiovascular strength and endurance, not so much what you weigh on the scale.
You can always go to a personal trainer or medical doctor and they can do some testing to find out how you fare. Or, just try complete these three simple do-it-yourself tests at home and you’ll find out immediately just how fit you are:
Test #1: Push-ups
This particular test will measure your muscular endurance and strength. To complete it, just do as many push-ups as you can in 60 seconds. (These are standard push-ups with your knees off the floor.)
According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), if you’re in your 30’s and can do more than 25 for women or 35 for men, then you’re in good condition. Lower the amount by five for each decade you are older. (For example, in your 40’s, good shape is when you can do 20 for women or 30 for men and so on.)
Test #2: Crunches
This test will measure the strength of your core, or abdominal region. Again, the goal is to see how many crunches you can complete in one minute. In order to successfully complete one crunch, your arms have to remain straight at your side and move forward 6 inches when you crunch up.
If you’re under 35 years of age and can do 40 crunches for women or 45 crunches for men, then you’re in good shape. If you’re over 45 years old, then the amounts lower to 15 crunches for women and 25 crunches for men.
Test #3: Walk 1 Mile
This particular test will measure your aerobic capacity. In order to complete it, simply walk one mile as quickly as you can. To avoid injury, it’s recommended that you do some light walking for 5-10 minutes before executing this test.
According to the American Council on Exercise, if you are in your 30’s and a woman, you have good fitness if you complete the mile anywhere between 13:42 and 14:36. If you’re a man, good fitness is completing it between 12:24 and 13:30. For a complete list of times and age ranges, you can get them online.
Once you complete these tests to find out where you stand, test yourself every few months and see how much progress you’re making. Keep working at it and you’ll be fit in no time!