WHAT DOES BEING in Meta-Age shape mean? I asked my friends this question, yet once you start looking for answers, you will discover it is individualised. And an explanation is more complex than it seems. The primary parameter that constitutes being in Super-A shape is physically doing what you want and need to do in your life without discomfort or pain.
There is no one true or defining answer because everyone gets to answer for themselves.
The idea of being in Meta-Age shape and understanding what it means delves into physical and mental health, general well-being, how your body looks, what your body can do, and self-awareness.
There is not a formula for determining being in Meta-Age shape. There are many ways to define physical well-being, with euphemisms such as regular exerciser, healthy eater, or slim-bodied. When someone is overweight, has a disability, or is a senior citizen, they are not perceived as fit and healthy.
Fitness to many people will mean being thin, strong, and able to work out. However, being thin doesn’t necessarily mean you are healthy or physically fit and active. It simply fits our culture’s dominant beauty and fashion-driven standards.
Athletes are in exceptional shape because they exceed what an average body can or needs to do. In contrast, a doctor will tell you that being in shape is about being fit, physically active, mobile, and happy, rather than what your body looks like. Some people equate being in shape with being healthy, while others with being physically fit.
Gyms are full of people who are less toned and overweight and also “fit.” However, being overweight or obese is strongly correlated with challenging health outcomes.
The reality is you don’t need to look or be athletic to be – in shape. A more petite person might be strong, without an outwardly firm appearance, yet can run, swim or cycle well. A larger person might be a super-flexible yogi, in ways we might not expect.
It’s your fitness rather than your shape that matters most. Numerous scientific studies have proven that people who participate in regular physical activity enjoy better health, unlike people with a sedentary lifestyle prone to diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and degenerative diseases.
WHY IT’S WORTH GETTING IN SHAPE
Studies show that incorporating more exercise into your life can reverse the adverse effects of sedentary lifestyle habits. If you want to get toned and better shape, there are many effective ways to achieve your “getting in shape” goals. The following tips can help you get fit:
- What’s your resting heart rate?
The health MOT begins with the heart, which is the only muscle in your body required to work around the clock. “Heart rate is a straightforward measure of fitness. If you walk up the stairs and it’s racing, then you know you’re in trouble”.
Your resting heart rate will indicate the efficiency of your heart. You want to be in the range of 60-100bpm or 40-60bpm if you’re a competing athlete. Give your local GP a call if your heart rate is outside those parameters.
- Blowing out a match held six inches away from your mouth?
The Snider Test is a crude way of testing lung function – although These days it has been superseded by more scientific tests, available at the doctors or through kits bought online. If you’re not able to blow out that match, you should seek medical advice.
- String Test
In 2012, 300,000 people were analysed by a team of British researchers. They found that the height to weight ratio is a valuable predictor of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. They concluded that your waist circumference should be less than half your height. Stating that it can help increase life expectancy for every person in the world,” said Dr Margaret Ashwell, who led the study.
Cut a piece of string to your height from head to toe, and then divide it in half. Then see if it wraps around the circumference of your waist at one inch above your belly button.
- Step Test?
The Step Test is a simple measure of aerobic fitness. Use a box or set of stairs step up and down the step, or on and off, an aerobics-type stepper for THREE minutes to increase heart rate and evaluate the heart’s recovery rate during the minute immediately following the test.
- Holding a plank position?
An excellent exercise for strengthening your core is the Plank—the core plays a vital role in your posture.
Go down on the floor with your forearms and on the floor. Now raise your body so that the only parts of your body touching the floor are your forearms, hands, and toes. Check your alignment with your shoulders directly above your elbows, and you should start to feel the ache somewhere around your midsection.
Timing for both men and women: poor = less than 45 seconds; average = 45-75 seconds; good = 75-120 seconds; excellent = more than 120 seconds.
- Single leg stand with your eyes closed?
Good health and fitness include proprioception – the perception, or awareness, of the position and movement of the body, even with your eyes shut. Your flexibility comes into it as well.
The single-leg balance test will very quickly indicate the quality of your proprioception. At the very least, you should manage at least five seconds without opening your eyes or putting your leg down. Aim to achieve 20 seconds; then you’re doing well.
You can always strive to be in ‘Super-A Shape’ wherever you are on the physical fitness spectrum.
