Are You Fitter Than the Average Guy?
Even if your cholesterol levels are in check, you’re not off the hook for heart disease. Sixty percent of the men who died of heart disease in a 17-year study had normal cholesterol levels, but low levels of fitness. A man with a low level of fitness had more than twice the risk of dying from heart disease than a man with a high level of fitness. (Worried about your risk? Here’s your complete heart disease prevention plan.)
But how do you know if you’re fit enough? The Cooper 12-minute Run Test is a reliable measure of your cardiovascular fitness. All you need is a stopwatch and a track.
Here’s how to do it: Head to a local track on a day with little wind. After a warm-up of at least 5 minutes, run as fast and as far as you can during a 12-minute period. At the end of the time, calculate your overall distance using the track, and then take a five-minute cool down. If you have a GPS watch, run as far as you can on a flat route for 12 minutes.
Note how many miles you covered. (If you were running on a track, multiply the number of quarter laps by 0.062 to calculate miles.) Take a look at the chart below to see your fitness level based on your age and distance.
No comments:
Post a Comment