Health Is Not Defined by Fat and Skinny. Test These Metrics Instead.

There are two types of muscular fitness assessments:

1. Muscular-endurance tests assess the ability to resist fatigue.
2. Muscular-strength tests assess the maximum amount of force an individual can produce in a specified number of repetitions.

Test your muscular endurance with a push-up and sit-up test.

• Count how many push-ups you can do. Your chin should touch the floor. A 35-year-old woman should be able to do 19 push-ups without stopping or 30 sit-ups (or crunches).
• For muscular strength, a personal trainer can help to assess your muscle strength.

Flexibility demonstrates an individual’s overall health profile because it tells the story of joint, muscle and tissue health. Regular stretching can help lessen the natural decrease in flexibility.

Check how flexible you are: Sit down with your legs out; line up the bottom of your feet with the 15-inch line on the yardstick. Then, reach forward three times for at least one second and record your farthest distance.

A 65-plus should be able to reach from the 17.5- to 15.5-inch mark. A 25-year-old should reach the 19.5- to 21.5-mark.

Measure your waist just above the hipbones. According to the Mayo Clinic, women with a waist circumference of 35 inches or more and men with waist circumferences of 40 inches or greater are at greater risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Another way is to use a BMI calculator that uses your gender, age, height and weight and the circumference of your waist. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.