Test Your Fitness

Resting Heart Rate

There are several ways to test your fitness. The first is to measure your resting heart rate. All you need is a timer (watch with second hand etc.). Simply find your pulse on your wrist, and then count how many beats there are in 60 seconds. You could measure for 15 seconds and then multiply by 4, but counting for a full minute is more accurate. The best time to measure is first thing in the morning before you get out of bed.

Everyone is different, and women generally have about 5 beats per minute more than men, but this gives a rough guide:

Over 90 beats pere minute and you are unfit. Around 80 beats per minute is average, 70 beats per minute is fit, and 50 beats or below is very fit. Remember, this really is just a guideline.

The Step Test

A much better way to test your fitness is to measure your recovery speed. For this, the step test is ideal. You can use either an aerobics step, or the bottom step on your staircase. The test is simple, just step up onto the step with one foot, follow with the other, and then step down with the leading foot. Repeat leading with the other foot. Do this fot three minutes, and then rest for 30 seconds. After the rest, take your pulse again.

Results are approximate for men under 40:

72 bpm – excellent fitness
78 bpm – good fitness
82 bpm – average fitness
90 bpm – acceptable fitness
100 bpm – unfit

Men over 40 can add 3 bpm to these figures. Women under 40 can add 5 bpm, and women over 40 can add 7 bpm.

As mentioned this is just a guide. However, if you plan on getting fitter (which you should!) then it is a good idea to monitor your fitness levels each week. This can act as a good motivation for carrying on with your fitness plan, as even if you do not lose much weight one week, you may still be fitter.

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