Are You Really Fit?

Have you ever tried to know how fit you are? You may be regular with your exercising regime but this is not the indicator that you are really fit. For some people exercising means taking a few treads of walk near the house or in the neighborhood, using a stair case instead of the elevator etc. While others may be committed to a routine in the form of gym or aerobic classes but may get tired easily. So why do you do a fitness test yourself at home to check how fit you are?

People all over the globe have read much about fitness, but most of the information may be confusing, particularly about what kind of exercises do they really should do? How much time do they should devote for exercising and what diet plan they should follow in order to be really fit?

Well the foremost important part in exercise is self assessment exercise, to know how fit you are. It begins with the practice of simple postures.

The second aspect comes with the flexibility and this could be easily achieved with the practice of yoga. You can test this by sitting on the floor and keep the feet extended out. Try to reach the maximum. Now try to touch your toes or beyond, it’s excellent, if you are able to touch till the ankles-good, till shin –average, and finally if you are able to touch till the knee then your flexibility of the body is very poor.

Third comes the endurance and the stamina of the body. This could be developed by walking, swimming and doing cardio. For testing the endurance one can climb the stairs. If you are huffing and puffing then there is room for improvement.

The next step in assessing your muscle strength, which has to be done with a series of weight training exercises. Now in order to test the muscle strength, crunch your abs and come up to a 40 degree ankle, for an isometric stretch. If you are a beginner then can hold it for 20 secs, it is good if you can hold for a little longer time for 30 secs or more. One can also check the endurance by checking the pulse.

The strength of the lower body can be tested by sitting in a chair and keeping the feet flat on the floor. Now cross the arms across the chest and try to make a full stand. Women of age group 18-40 should be able to do 17-20 full stands in 30 secs, while men of the same age group should be able to do 19-23 full stands.

On an average a human heart beats for 70-80 beats/min. the range of test is 62-88 beats/min. the lesser the pulse rate the stronger the heart. Based on the following self test and the score one can evaluate their fitness level. But also see that you never ever neglect your diet. And be fit!