How Fit Are You? By Dana Sullivan
Try these four simple moves to find out where you stand (and how you can improve).
Challenge Yourself
Remember back in school when the Presidential Physical Fitness Test rolled around? There was no avoiding the gauntlet of push-ups,
pull-ups, sit-ups, and more.
Though your PE instructor may now be a distant memory, it's still smart to measure your strength, flexibility, and endurance,
just as you measure your blood pressure and weight, says Steven Farrell, Ph.D., the director of professional education for
the Cooper Institute, a nonprofit health-education and research center in Dallas. "These tests give you a sense of your overall
fitness level and even predict how you'll age," says Farrell.
To see how you rate, take this four-part challenge, designed to mimic the presidential test, by Farrell and Cedric Bryant,
Ph.D., chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise, in San Diego.
Put Yourself to the Test
Your task is simple: After a 5- to 10-minute warm-up (running in place will do), try the four tests on the following pages: Modified Push-ups, Curl-ups, Sit-and-Reach, and One-Mile Timed Walk.Note your rank (for example, average or above average) under Your Score.
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