THERE HAS NEVER been a time when I thought exercise was optional. Getting fit is not a one-off event. It’s a process, a series of small movements and slight adjustments. Those small changes can ultimately get you from where you are now to where you want to be. So before you start the training, why not give yourself a physical MOT? Not doing these simple tests will defeat your fitness programme, because if you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?
1. What’s your resting heart rate?
Your MOT starts with your heart, the only muscle in your body that has to function 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
An average resting heart rate should be 60 to 100 beats per minute. If you’re a serious athlete, you should aim for 40-60 beats per minute (bpm).
2. Can you blow out a match six inches away?
The Snider Test is a primitive method of determining lung function, albeit superseded by more precise tests accessible at doctors’ offices or through internet kits.
If you cannot extinguish the match, you should seek medical assistance.
3. String Test?
A group of British academics examined the health of 300,000 adults in 2012. The researchers discovered that the height-to-weight ratio could help predict heart attacks and strokes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular events and diabetes. “Waist circumference has to be less than half your height to help everyone in the world live longer,” said the study’s lead author, Dr Margaret Ashwell.
Cut a string length to your height from head to toe, divide it in half, and see if it wraps around your waist one inch above your belly button. If the two ends don’t meet, then you need to reduce your weight.
4. Step Test?
The Step Test assesses an individual’s aerobic fitness. Participants step up and down, on and off, an aerobics-style step for THREE minutes to raise heart rate and evaluate the heart’s recovery rate in the minute after the step test. Your heart rate should drop back close to what it was before you started stepping.
5. How long can you hold a plank position?
The plank is a great way to measure your core strength, which is essential for your posture
Lay face down on the floor, elbows tucked at your sides and hands beside your shoulders. Raise yourself to the point where your forearms and toes are the only parts of your body that contact the ground with your shoulders directly above your elbows.
Males and females: Poor = 45 seconds or less; average = 45-75 seconds; good = 75-120 seconds; exceptional = more than 120 seconds.
6. How long can you stand on one leg with your eyes closed?
Proprioception is the ability to tell where your body is in space even while your eyes are closed, and this is where flexibility comes into play.
The single-leg balance test will immediately reveal your proprioceptive quality. You should be able to hold your position for at least five seconds without opening your eyes or placing your leg down. You’re doing well if you can get up to 20 seconds.”
7. Flexibility?
The sit and reach test assesses your hamstrings, hips, and lower back flexibility. It’s a decent gauge of your overall flexibility.
Your flexibility is functional if you can reach the soles of your feet with your fingertips. A good result for a 50-year-old lady would be 19 inches of reach, or 16.5 inches for a guy.
8. Physical exertion test?
High-intensity exercises to push your heart rate and find out how long it can stay there while maintaining your strength and power.
Burpees is a total body workout. Start with a plank, then swing your hips forward on the way up so your feet fall flat on the ground close to your hands. Then jump as high as you can while lifting your arms towards the ceiling. It should be a dynamic movement that is both smooth and rapid. A good result is five; over 12 is impressive.
9. How good is your posture?
Stand up and look down at your feet. What direction are your toes pointing? Your feet should be facing forward so your legs and hips work equally.
Lean against a wall, lightly contacting the wall with your heels. What is the distance between your head and the wall?
The balance of your body determines your posture; if your body is balanced, your head will contact the wall. Your lower back and bum will benefit from a good posture as well.
10. Brain health test for midlifers
Brain deterioration begins in our forties. According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, who have a free ten-minute Think Brain Health Check-in test, only 2% of people do everything they can to keep their brains healthy. We can all take steps to improve our brain health – exercise, learning new skills and hobbies, a nutritious diet, avoiding smoking, and not drinking excessively are all important for brain health.
11. Grip Strength
Weak grip strength is a red flag for health as you age and should be checked out. It is linked to faster biological ageing and potently predicts cardiovascular disease risk.
An inexpensive hand-held dynamometer (about £20) measures grip strength. After squeezing the dynamometer three times with each hand for three to five seconds, average the readings. If you are weak, you can strengthen your grip by squeezing a tennis or squash ball for sixty seconds.
