I have never been to the gym, neither have I been to any fitness class. I know the importance of fitness. I fall into a class of women who think they are doing enough at home. I go to work. I do the chores at home and I am practically on my feet from the moment I wake up till I go to bed. I have some exercise routine in place which I follow and sometimes ( due to my tight schedule) I forget about. I think I am active and fit for my age.
Seeing people jogging past every day makes me think about my fitness. Am I fit enough? Why can’t I join a gym or at least start some sort of more-physical-challenging-exercise? Do I call myself fit judging from a number of chores I do indoor?   I cannot call myself fat and I do watch what I eat, are these not enough fitness?

These are the questions I cannot find answers for. I, therefore, decided to go for a fitness test. My fitness tests do not require any equipment and here they are for you to try.

Brisk walk a mile: Taking a brisk walk or run for a mile is a great way to check your fitness level. Walking is good cardiovascular exercise, it can slow the aging process. For you to know if you are fit enough, you should be able to run a mile in 8 minutes, the younger you are, the faster you will be. If you are brisk walking, you should cover a mile in 15 minutes or less.  Now test your fitness level and time yourself.

A two-hour walk : Another easy way to check if you are fit is to walk for two hours without feeling it. Walking is natural and it should not feel like you are exercising. So to check your fitness level, take a two-hour walk. How do you feel after the walk? Do you think you are fit enough?

Running up a flight of stairs is another way to check your fitness level. Can you run up a flight of 20 stairs without feeling run down? I am not talking about you climbing the stairs leisurely, for this to count, you have to run up the stairs. Are you puff out after running up?

Can you sit down on the ground and stand up (straight on your feet) without using your hands or any limb for support? This has been used by health instructors to check fitness. You have to be able to sit on the ground and get back on your feet without using another part of the body. The fewer limbs you use in getting back to your feet, the better. This is a great way to check your fitness level.

The push-up test: The pushup test is another way to test your fitness level. A push-up test is good for your muscle and strength. To check your fitness level, check how many push-ups you can do in a minute. If you are age between 20 – 49,  10 to 35 push-ups are average. Please note that men are expected to do more than women (approximately 10 push -ups more within a minute test time).

A 3-minute bench test:  You need a bench  which is at least 12 inches (about 31 centimeters) tall for this fitness test. All you do is to step on and off the bench for 3 minutes straight. Sit down and count the pulse on your wrist or neck for a minute. Use your wrist or neck to count your pulse in a minute. Time how long it takes your heart beats go back to normal. The fitter you are, the quicker your heart beat will go back to normal. Average pulse reading should be between 95 – 121 depending on your age, sex, and fitness.

My fitness test helped me determined my level of fitness. Do you want me to tell you how I did? Well, let’s just say I did extremely well in some and I struggled with others.

Now is your turn. How fit are you? You might need to join the gym after all or set a rigid routine as far as fitness is concern.

Please share your experience.

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