Measurements: Starting Your Journey

“Let’s measure our fitness, capture our starting point, and unleash the power to create our healthy balanced lives!”

Today we will be starting this journey by taking our measurements and documenting where our current fitness levels are by taking a fitness assessment.

Free Printouts to get started with!

The pack contains 3 worksheets

• First we have the Measurements worksheet for documenting the results of the fitness assessment we will be performing today
• Next, we have the Daily Journal worksheet that we will be using to document everything we do throughout our days
• And Last, we have the “Life Goals” worksheet.

Today we are starting the Measurements worksheet

Why do a fitness assessment? #

First, let’s look at WHAT fitness assessments are. Fitness assessments are a series of tests/exercises that measures and monitors your physical fitness level.

Today we will be going over the five components of physical fitness that make up total fitness:

• Cardiovascular Endurance
• Muscular Strength
• Muscular Endurance
• Flexibility
• Body Composition

So, WHY do fitness testing? Fitness testing is an effective strategy for assessing your current fitness levels. It can also help you understand how healthy you are and how to effectively set your goals.

Rationale for Testing:

• Identify training needs
• Select training regimens
• Evaluate the success of the program in achieving its objectives
• Motivate participants

Ideal Conditions for Testing #

• Wear exercise clothing and shoes
• No food for two hours before testing
• No caffeinated beverages
• No alcohol for 24 hours before testing
• No smoking for two hours before testing
• No exercise on day of testingi

Today we will be using a Scale, a Measuring Tape (preferably a quilters length), and Calipers (for those of you doing skin-fold testing). We will be using these measurements for calculations. Calculations will be in an upcoming video. Make sure you fill in todays date for record keeping purposes. Then fill in the Age, Weight, and Height. Our shoes will be staying off for 4 out of 5 test. We will be putting our shoes back on for the Cardio-Respiratory test.

Measurements (following form) #

The 5 Tests we will be performing today

• Circumference
• Body Fat
• Muscular Endurance and Strength
• Flexibility
• Cardio-Respiratory Fitness

Circumference #

There are 8 measurements we are going to take. We’ll be using the Measuring Tape for these. (Girth = Size/Bulk. Max Girth = Largest Part)

• Neck: Largest girth below Adam’s apple. Perpendicular to axis of neck.
• Arm: Arm held freely to the side of the body, Maximum girth below deltoid.
• Chest: Around upper lats, below the armpits. At nipple level.
• Waist: Narrowest part of waist above the umbilicus and below xiphoid process (sternum)
• Forear: Maximum girth of forearm. Arm hanging downward and slightly away from your trunk. Palms facing forward.
• Hips: Maximal girth of hip, or buttocks. Above gluteal fold (the under curve of your butt).
• Thigh: Maximal girth of thigh, Below gluteal fold. Legs slightly apart.
• Calf: Maximum girth between knee and ankle joint.

Body Fat (Composition - Skin-fold) #

I know that not everybody is going to have a set of calipers…that’s okay. There is a calculation we can use from the measurements we took. I will take you through the calculations in the next video and I will show you how to calculate using the test they use in the military (US Navy Method). I am still going to show you where and how the calipers are used. If you would like to purchase your own calipers, the link will be in the description box below. The 7 skin-fold measurements we will take are:

• Chest: (Men) one-half the distance between the crease of the underarm and the nipple. (Women) one-third the distance between the crease of the underarm and the nipple.
• Midaxilary (Rib Cage Area): Midaxillary line at the level of the xiphoid process of the sternum
• Triceps (Back of the Upper Arm): Posterior midline of the upper arm Halfway between the shoulder and elbow. Arm held freely to the side of the body.
• Subscapular (Shoulder Blade Area): Diagonal fold, 1 to 2 cm below the inferior angle of the scapula.
• Abdomen: Horizontal fold, 2 cm to the right side of the belly button.
• Suprailiac (Hip Bone Area): Diagonal fold. Mid-axillary line, Superior to the iliac crest.
• Thigh: Anterior midline of the thigh. Midway between the proximal border of the upper knee and the hip.

Muscular Endurance and Strength #

Make sure that you start by doing at least 5 minutes of stretching before. We will be doing a couple of different exercises to assess our over all muscular endurance and strength. We will be doing as many as we can! Please be honest with yourself. In the long run it will help you actually reach your goals in the long run. And…don’t be to hard on yourself. We are all here at this point with the knowledge that we need to change and improve our overall health. Plus, when you do redo these tests down the line, it feels really good to see your progress!

• Push-Ups
• Curl-Ups

Flexibility (Sit and Reach) #

This test measures the tightness in your lower back and your hamstrings. This resembles the movements we make in a day; like bending over to pick things up and the positioning in some activities (cycling, skiing, or kicking a ball).

Cardio-Respiratory Fitness #

There are several ways to assess your cardio-respitory fitness. We will be performing the step test. As you know, I have disabilites, lupus, and age…So, I also go over a modified test for seniors and those too weak to perform the step test.

Daily Journal and Life Goals #

In the next video/post, we will be going over the results of our assessment and setting our goals. Again, Please Be Honest with yourself.

“Daily Journal”

• Complete the form for each day until the next video/post.
• Many people DO NOT realize what they consume in a day. No matter what it is, please include it…even if it is only 1 jellybean. If you have diabetes, add each test to the “activities” section.
• This WILL help!! Just plain recognition, helps many people.

“Life Goals”

• We will be going through (completing) this printout in the next video/post.
• Start to think about the 6 areas of what your life goals will be.

Download #