TAKE THE TEST
If your thinking about beginning a fitness program it’s good to have some idea of how fit you are before you start. By having a starting point you can then set fitness goals and monitor your progress in your notebook or journal. The following assessment guidelines are provided by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and can help you determine your own fitness level in the four key areas:

• aerobic fitness

• muscular fitness

• flexibility

• body compostion

CHECK YOUR AEROBIC FITNESS
To assess your aerobic fitness, it will be nessacary to briskly walk for one mile and you’ll need a watch with a second hand or a stopwatch. Before and after the walk, you’ll need to check and record your pulse.

To check your pulse over your carotid artery, place your index and third fingers on your neck either side of your windpipe. To check your pulse at your wrist, place two fingers between the bone and the tendon over your radial artery, located on the thumb side of your wrist. When you feel your pulse, look at your watch and count the number of beats in 10 seconds. Multiply this number by 6 to get your heart rate per minute. For example, if you count 15 beats in 10 seconds just multiply 15 by 6 for a total of 90 beats per minute.

After checking and recording your pulse, record the time and begin your walk. After briskly walking for one mile, check your watch and record the time it took you to finish, then check and record your pulse again.

MUSCULAR FITNESS
Push-ups are perfect for measuring muscular strength. If your just beginning, you can do modified push-ups on your knees but if possible it’s recommended you do classic push-ups for this test. For either type it’s important to remember to lower your body until your chest touches the floor if possible. Do as many as you can then record the number in your notebook or journal.

TEST YOUR FLEXIBILITY
The sit-and-reach test is a simple way to measure the flexibility of the backs of your legs, your hips and your lower back.

Place a yardstick on the floor and secure it by placing a piece of tape across the yardstick at the 15-inch mark.

• Place the soles of your feet even with the mark on the yardstick.

• Ask a helper to place his or her hands on top of your knees to anchor them.

• Reach forward as far as you can, holding the position for two seconds.

• Note the distance you reached.

• Repeat the test two more times.

• Record the best of the three reaches.

BODY COMPOSITION; WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND BODY MASS INDEX(BMI)
Measure your waist with a cloth measuring tape at it’s smallest point usually located at your navel and record in your journal.

Next, determine your body mass index (BMI) by using the BMI calculator below or manually by using the following formula:

Divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared and multiply by 703. Or divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. (To determine your height in meters, divide your height in centimeters by 100).

Then, record your BMI with the rest of your scores in your notebook or journal.

RECORD YOUR PROGRESS
Now that you have a good idea of your fitness level, go ahead and start your fitness program. After six weeks, assess your progress again and periodically thereafter. You can then adjust your fitness goals according to the progress you have made. For additional advice, show the results to your doctor or a personal trainer.

*Source: www.mayoclinic.com

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