Assessing Your Fitness Abilities

The first step in any fitness routine? Determine a realistic fitness level—given your current condition. This will help make sure you don't end up causing more harm than good or losing interest early on because the routine is too strenuous. Then determine a realistic fitness objective—what do you hope to achieve? Be honest with yourself —what else do you have going on in your life that might compete with your ability to get engaged in being physically active—and sticking to it. What are you willing to do to make sure you achieve your fitness goal?

The best way to assess your fitness level is to start with a conversation with your healthcare professional.

Not sure what to ask? Use the questions below as a guideline to open the dialogue with your doctor, dietitian, coach or personal trainer.

• What is my Body Mass Index (BMI)? My Wellness Scorecard includes your BMI calculation in the General Health section so click here and get a snapshot of your entire wellness regimen.
• What is my resting heart rate?
• What is my waist-to-hip ratio? Divide the circumference of your waist (near your bellybutton) by the circumference of your hips.

Now, do some push-ups or sit-ups or take a walk to find out...

• How many push-ups and sit-ups can I do before I get tired?
• How far can I walk in ten minutes?

To open the dialogue about your new physical activity program, ask your healthcare professional the following questions.

• Are there any risks to starting an exercise routine given my current medical condition?
• What types of exercises are appropriate for a person in my current condition?
• Given my current condition, are there some exercises I should avoid right now?
• How long should I work out as I begin my fitness routine?
• Are there certain exercises I should focus on first?
• How many times a week should I workout?
• Should I do smaller amounts of exercise more than once a day? Or can I do my full routine at one time?
• What realistic expectations should I set for myself?
• What kind of rewards should I consider?
• How can we measure my success together?
• Will you help hold me accountable?

While the last question may be difficult to ask, having someone to report back to is a powerful way to ensure that you do what you say you are going to do.

With all this information in hand, you're ready to get started. So click here for the Three Easy Steps for Launching Your Fitness Regimen.