Health & Fitness Checks

Welcome to our health and fitness check page.  We have put together a number of simple health checks and fitness tests which you can do.  Use the resources below to help you identify areas which you may need to address to prevent future health problems.  Also to help you measure your current fitness levels, plan your future training and monitor your progress. Please take a look and see how you measure up!

HEALTH CHECKS: 
Use this height-to-weight chart to check where you are on this scale.

The following test more accurately determines your Body Mass Index.  The BMI is an indicator of total body fat which is related to the risk of disease and death.  The score is valid for both men and women, but it does have some limits.  It will over-estimate body fat in individuals with a muscular build and it may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle mass, for these individuals a better health check would be a body composition test.

Base Metabolic Rate  is a measurement of the total number of calories used by a body at rest to sustain life.  Basically, it is the number of calories needed for someone to do nothing all day and remain alive.  The calculator below will give you a guide to the number of calories you need on a daily basis to provide neither weight gain nor loss.  Please note this is only a rough guide.  Current research suggests that existing daily calorific intake figures may underestimate the number of calories required by approximately 16%.  To calculate your BMR use the free calculator below: 

Hip-to-waist ratio - Your waist to hip ratio is an important tool that helps you determine your overal health.  It is a simple and useful measure of fat distribution on the body.  People with more width around their waist at are a greater risk of lifestyle related diseases than those with weight around their hips.  Here is how you calculate your own:
STEP 1: stand with your stomach relaxed
STEP 2: measure your waist at the belly button (in centimetres)
STEP 3: measure your hips at the widest point (in centimetres)
STEP 4: divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement
STEP 5: use the table below to assess your result:

Waist to Hip Ratio Chart
Male	Female	Health Risk Based Solely on WHR
0.95 or below	0.80 or below	Low Risk
0.96 to 1.0	0.81 to 0.85	Moderate Risk
1.0+	0.85+	High Risk

FITNESS TESTS:

YMCA STEP TEST:
The purpose of this test is to measure the heart rate in the recovery period following the 3 minutes of stepping. The results of the test provide an indication of the cardio respiratory fitness level of the individual.
The individual is required to step up and down on a bench or similar piece of equipment at the rate of 24 steps per minute, for 3 minutes. The step should be at least 12 inches in height. It is recommended that to help the individual maintain the correct stepping speed a metronome is used with a setting of 96 beeps per minute with the individual being told to take 1 step every beep.
After the individual has been stepping for the 3 minutes they are asked to sit down and the 60 second heart rate is taken 5 seconds after completion of the stepping.
The number of heart beats for that 60 second period is the recovery heart rate score. Consult the tables below to determine the individual’s fitness level.

COOPER TEST:
This simple test is designed to monitor the development of the individual's aerobic endurance and to obtain an estimate of their VO2max. The test can be done either in the gym using a treadmill or outside on a 400m track.
Firstly do a warm-up for 10-15 minutes
Using the track or treadmill the individual runs/walks as far as possible in 12 minutes
Record the total distance covered to the nearest metre
The individual conducts a cool down
For an evaluation of the individual's performance use the tables below

The following table can be used with experienced individuals: 

VO2 MAX:
An estimate of your VO2 max can be calculated as follows:
                                                  (Distance covered in metres - 504.9) ÷ 44.73

PRESS-UP TEST:
The objective of the Press Up test is to assess the strength endurance of the individual's upper body muscles.
The Press Up Test is conducted as follows:
Lie on the mat, hands shoulder width apart & fully extend the arms
Lower the body until the elbows reach 90°
Return to the starting position with the arms fully extended
The feet are not to be held
The push up action is to be continuous with no rest
Complete as many push ups as possible
Record the total number of full body press ups
Female individuals tend to have less relative strength in the upper body and therefore can use the modified press up position to assess their upper body strength. The test is then performed as follows:
Lie on the mat, hands shoulder width apart, bent knee position & fully extend the arms - see Figure 3
Lower the upper body until the elbows reach 90° -
Return to the starting position with the arms fully extended -
The feet are not to be held
The push up action is to be continuous with no rest
Complete as many modified push ups as possible
Record the total number of modified press ups
To evaluate your performance, please use the tables below
Full body press up

Modified Push Ups 

Table Reference: McArdle W.D. et al; Essential of Exercise Physiology; 2000

SIT-UP TEST:
The objective of the Sit Ups Test is to monitor the development of the individual's abdominal muscles - core strength.
The Sit Ups Test is conducted as follows:
• Lie on the mat with the knees bent, feet flat on the floor and the arms folded across the chest
• Assistant can hold your feet on the ground
• Start each sit up with back on the floor
• Raise yourself to the 90 degree position and then return to the floor
• The feet can be held by a partner
• Record the number of sits up completed in 30 seconds

The following are national norms for 16 to 19 year olds.

Table Reference: Davis B. et al; Physical Education and the Study of Sport; 2000