How fit are you?

How can you tell if all that exercise you do is paying off?
These are the 5 components to determine how fit you are.
1. Cardiovascular fitness
2. Muscular strength
3. Muscular endurance
4. Flexibility
5. Body composition
But, fitness is multi-dimensional. A bodybuilder will have little body fat and lean muscle but may not possess good flexibility or cardiovascular fitness. A marathon runner will have excellent cardiovascular health with a strong set of lungs but conceivably have little upper body strength.
So what does all that mean?
Fitness means different things to everyone. For some people it is being able to run 5 kilometres easily or being an elite athlete, while for others fitness means being able to keep up with the kids.
The only actual way to know how fit you are is to put yourself to the test. A thorough fitness evaluation will include activities and special tools that specifically measure...
1. Your ability to participate in cardiovascular exercise (to measure your maximal oxygen uptake)
2. Joint flexibility (how much range of movement you have in and around your joints)
3. Body composition (waist circumference and Body Mass index )and body fat percentage
4. Muscular strength and endurance (how strong you are)
To evaluate your fitness, you need to take into consideration your current lifestyle, genetics, body shape, what regular exercise you do and general health.
Working to optimize each of these five components is crucial to enhancing your overall fitness and general health. Enlist the assistance of a Personal Trainer to evaluate your current levels of all of the above and put together a program for improvements. Measure again in 3 months to assess what areas you have made progress with.
Your hard work will pay off.
Remember consistency is the key to making any improvements in your fitness.
Gradually increase your exercise over a period of weeks to avoid injury or burnout.
Enjoy fitness. Enjoy life.