Body 10 questions and physical challenges to put your fitness, strength and flexibility to the test

Take our test to discover your fitness, strength and flexibility – then find out how to easily improve all three 1

How often do you work out for 30 minutes or more? A Fewer than 3 x per week

B 3-4 x per week

C 5 x per week or more 2

Calculate your waist-to-hip ratio. You can do this by measuring the narrowest part of your waist and dividing it by the widest part of your hips. You will already have your result if you’ve done the health checks on the previous pages.

A 0.85 or over

B 0.76-0.84

C 0.75 or below 3

First thing in the morning, take your pulse and write down the beats per minute

(ie your resting heart rate). A Above 75

B 70-75

C 69 or below 4

Deduct your age from 220. This should give you your maximum heart rate. Perform five minutes of cardio exercise – jog on the spot, skip or use an exercise bike. Take your pulse to find your post-exercise heart rate, then work out how close this is to your maximum. FORMULA: 100 divided by maximum heart rate multiplied by post-exercise heart rate.

A Over 70%

B 60-70%

C Below 60% 5

Rest for two minutes, then take your heart rate again.

Now deduct this from your post-exercise heart rate.

A 21 or less

B 22-52

C 53+ 6

With one hand reaching down over your shoulder and the other reaching upwards from your waist, flatten your palms and try to touch your fingers behind your back. Ask someone to measure the gap.

A Over 10cm

B 5-10cm

C Less than 5cm (including touching/overlap)

7

Adopt the downward dog position (an upsidedown V) and, keeping your palms flat, try to get your heels as close to the ground as possible. Ask someone to measure the gap.

A 5cm or above

B 1-4 cm

C Heels touching the floor

8

Tree pose. Stand on one leg, with the sole of the other foot placed against that leg and your hands above your head.

Hold the pose for as long as you can.

A 4 seconds or less

B 5-10 seconds

C 10+ seconds 9

With your back against a wall, bend your legs so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. How long can you hold this position? A Under 30 seconds

B 31-59 seconds

C 1 minute or more 10

A press-up is where you balance on your toes with your arms extended, lower your body then re-extend. How many can you do without resting? A 0

B 1-5 full-range press-ups

C Over 5 full-range press-ups