The journey and mission to become a super fit individual is a great one, but in order to do it successfully, something that every person needs to do it figure out how fit they are to begin with! If you can accurately surmise what your current fitness levels are, you will be able to put together a health and fitness plan that is much more effective and incisive than just trying to follow a generic guide. Here are five good ways to gauge how fit you are.
Aerobic fitness is basically all about the amount of oxygen that you can make use of during your exercise. The heavier you breathe and the more breathless you feel, the less aerobic fitness you have. Of course, we all get breathless eventually, but it is about the time it takes to get completely out of puff.
The fitter you are, the better muscle strength and bone density you will have, so in terms of gauging your initial strength, it is good to put yourself through an average weight lifting routine to see whether you fall under, on or above the average for your individual age and measurements.
This is the sort of test that will help to tell you what percentage of your current body is made up of fat. Once you know where you fall on the scale, you can work towards building an appropriate plan. To change your body composition, you need to undergo both diet changes and exercise.
Power is not the same as strength. When you think about things like preventing falls, strength is important but so is power, because quickly adjusting muscle positions and contractions is all about how much power you have under your control. You can test your power by doing something as simple as a vertical jump.
In terms of flexibility, it is okay for an average person to aim for ‘normal’. You don’t need anything more than normal flexibility to maintain good health and fitness, and you can start testing your own abilities by doing something like the sit and reach test. Your results will give you a good indicator of where and what you need to work on.