If you are starting a new workout regimen and want to understand how healthy you are, you may find it difficult to measure your fitness level.
Dor Eckstein, a fitness guru, says that everyone’s fitness level is different, and the factors for assessing how fit and healthy your body varies from one person to the other.
Here are some of the tests that Dor Eckstein recommends:
Balance
According to Dor Eckstein, a healthy body relies on being well balanced. To assess this, you can try standing on one foot with your arms at your sides for one minute, and if you feel that you could fall, you can stand close to a wall, table, or chair. Yoga and Pilates are some of the exercises that Dor recommends to promote the right balance.
Waist to Hip Ratio
This ratio indicates the amount of fat stored around the waist compared to your hips’ width and is used to assess body fat distribution. People with belly fat are likely to experience health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. You can calculate your waist to hip ratio by dividing the widest part of your hips by the smallest part of your waist. A healthy balance for women is less than .8, while for men, it is less than .9.
Flexibility
To assess how flexible your body is, sit on the floor with your legs stretched out and then try to reach and touch your toes. Dor Eckstein says that not getting your toes does not mean you are not fit but not getting further than your knees means that you need to work on this fitness area.
1 Mile Run
This is a test that indicates the level of your cardiovascular fitness. You can measure how long it takes you to complete running 1 mile or walking quickly through a flat and measurable route. If you’re not dizzy by the time you’re done, then you’re in a good fitness position. If you do, Dor says you need to improve your cardiovascular fitness.
Resting Heart Rate (RHR)
Count the number of heartbeats you feel in a 60 second period when your body is at rest and relaxed. A low resting heart rate corresponds to a healthier cardiovascular system and a higher aerobic fitness level, and vice versa.
Vertical Jump
How high you can jump indicates your muscle fibers’ power and the power exertion your body possesses. See how high you can jump with a 2-foot tall box and markings on a wall.
Planks
Your core strength and stability can be assessed by practicing holding the plank position for as long as you can. To do proper planks, keep your forearms on the floor, curl your toes under and straighten your back parallel to the core.
Burpees
Burpees challenge your muscular and cardiovascular fitness, endurance and body power. If you can perform several burpees in a row, that’s a good indication of your fitness level.
Wall sits
Wall sit exercises assess your lower body and leg strength endurance. To gauge this, you can sit in an invisible chair with your back up against a wall with your knees at a right angle and see how long you can hold the position.
Push-Ups
Push-ups indicate upper body strength and endurance levels. Dor Eckstein says that women should aim for 12 and men should aim for 20.