Start Making Choices: How Fit Are You?

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Simple ideas for living healthier on a budget.

Try these four simple moves to find out.

Remember back in school when the Presidential Physical Fitness Test rolled around? It's still smart to measure your strength, flexibility, and endurance. To see how you rate, take this four-part challenge, designed to mimic the presidential test. After a 10-minute warm-up of running in place, try the tests, and note your rank.

Test 1: Modified Push-Ups

What they measure:
Strength in the chest, the shoulders, and the triceps, which is essential for lifting and pulling.

How to do them: Get down on all fours on a yoga mat and place your hands on the floor, slightly in front of your shoulders, fingers pointing forward. Lift up your feet and cross your ankles. Keeping your abdominal muscles contracted, lower toward the floor until your chest is three inches from the ground; push yourself back up to the starting position. Repeat as many times as you can in 60 seconds.

Your Score

Age: 20 to 29
Above average: 30 to 35
Average: 23 to 29
Below average: 17 to 22

Age: 30 to 39
Above average: 24 to 30
Average: 19 to 23
Below average: 11 to 18

Age: 40 to 49
Above average: 18 to 23
Average: 13 to 17
Below average: 6 to 12

Age: 50 to 59
Above average: 11 to 20
Average: 7 to 10
Below average: 2 to 6

Age: 60 to 69
Above average: 10 to 14
Average: 5 to 9
Below average: 1 to 4

Test 2: Curl-Ups

What they measure:
Abdominal and core muscular endurance and strength which allows you to bend, lift, and twist.

How to do them: Place two 24-inch strips of masking tape on a yoga mat—4½ inches apart if you're 45 or younger, 3 inches apart if you're 46 or older. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, buttocks close to the tape. Keeping your feet on the floor, reach forward, curling your spine and lifting your shoulders, and slide your fingers along the mat until they touch the second strip of tape. Return to the starting position. Repeat as many curl-ups as you can in 60 seconds.

Your Score

Age: 20 to 29
Above average: 37 to 69
Average: 21 to 36
Below average: Less than 21

Age: 30 to 39
Above average: 33 to 54
Average: 20 to 32
Below average: Less than 20

Age: 40 to 49
Above average: 33 to 49
Average: 15 to 32
Below average: Less than 15

Age: 50 to 59
Above average: 24 to 49
Average: 9 to 23
Below average: Less than 9

Age: 60 to 69
Above average: 23 to 47
Average: 2 to 22
Below average: Less than 2

Test 3: Sit-and-Reach

What they measure:
Flexibility of the hamstrings and the lower back.

How to do them: Sit on a yoga mat with a yardstick between your legs, the 36-inch end facing out. Put a strip of masking tape across the stick at the 15-inch mark. Keep your legs straight, heels on the tape at that 15-inch mark, with feet about 12 inches apart. Sit up straight. Place one hand on top of the other, exhale, and slowly reach forward as far along the yardstick as you can, lowering your head between your arms. Don't bounce. Relax, sit up, and repeat twice, noting the farthest inch mark you reach.

Your Score

Age: 18 to 25
Above average: 21 inches or more
Average: 19 to 20 inches
Below average: 17 to 18 inches

Age: 26 to 35
Above average: 20 inches or more
Average: 19 inches
Below average: 16 to 18 inches

Age: 36 to 45
Above average: 19 inches or more
Average: 17 to 18 inches
Below average: 15 to 16 inches

Age: 46 to 55
Above average: 18 inches or more
Average: 16 to 17 inches
Below average: 14 to 15 inches

Age: 56+
Above average: 17 inches or more
Average: 15 to 16 inches
Below average: 13 to 14 inches

Test 4: One-Mile Timed Walk

What it measures:
Cardiorespiratory fitness, high levels of which are associated with fewer health problems.

How to do it: Walk an uninterrupted mile as fast as you can. Keep your shoulders back, your abdominal muscles contracted, and your posture upright. Record your time to the nearest second. Keep walking slowly for a few minutes to cool down.

Your Score

Women Under Age 40
Above average: 13:31 to 16:00
Average: 16:01 to 18:30
Below average: 18:31 to 20:00

Women Age 40 and Over
Above average: 14:31 to 17:00
Average: 17:01 to 19:30
Below average: 19:31 to 22:00

As always, be sure to consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.