Physical Fitness Self-Check

You may have health concerns to consider, or you may wonder about your fitness level. Knowing your fitness level is important to help you decide on an appropriate exercise program and the proper pacing. To evaluate your fitness level, ask yourself the following:

· Are you frequently out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs?

· Does it take you a long time to recover after walking up a flight of stairs?

· Do you generally feel exhausted after short periods of physical activity? (i.e., walking, lifting, house chores)

· Do you experience general muscle tension?

· Are you overweight?

· Are your muscles toned?

· Do you feel tired after half an hour of playing a sport?

· Are your muscles sore or aching for days after participating in sports?

· Does it take a long time to recover your energy at the end of your workday?

· Is your sleep poor and fitful?

· Do you feel depressed or anxious?

· Are you experiencing tiredness, fatigue or boredom?

· Do you frequently feel irritable?

· Do you have little energy to do things you enjoy?

· Do you fear, or feel uncomfortable with, the sensations of a faster heartbeat and breathing rate that occurs during sex, anger, fear, physical strain and exercise? (If you feel afraid of or overwhelmed by these body sensations, then you are probably out of shape.)

· Do you have difficulties jogging a mile in 8 minutes and recovering your breath within 5 minutes?

This checklist is not definitive, but will give you a general idea about your fitness level and inform you of the need to exercise. There’s room for improvement for almost everyone. If you answered "yes" to some or many of these questions, it’s especially important for you to begin your exercise program slowly and to pace yourself.

You may want to start your exercise program with walking, swimming, or other low-impact exercises. To avoid soreness and injury, gradually lengthen your workout sessions in small increments over several weeks. After several months of lengthening the duration of your exercise, you can work on slowly increasing your speed or intensity.

Resist the temptation to do too much, too soon. You make better progress when you take small steps rather than giant leaps. Pushing too hard is likely to lead to injuries, fatigue, and discouragement, which then become good reasons for you to stop exercising. Also, be patient with yourself. Improvements in fitness don’t happen instantly, but in small steps over months. Take pride for each small step that you’ve made to reach your goal.