Have you ever wondered exactly how fit you are…?

Ever tried to sneak a peak at the treadmill screen next to you at the gym – to compare your stats with that really fit looking dude..?

Or think you’re in pretty good nick, but STILL puff when walking up those damn flights of stairs to get to the office??

Well, here are a couple of fitness tests you can do at home, just to get a general idea on where you’re at – just so you know where you fit with other women your age.

The One-Minute Step Test for Women

What you need:
- Bench/box approx 45cm high.
- Wristwatch/stopwatch
- Pen and paper

Procedure:
- Step up and down continuously on a 45cm high bench for one minute.
- Perform the test at a pace of 30 complete steps (step up, step down) per minute.
- After one minute of stepping, sit down, wait for 15s, then take your pulse for 15s. Write it down.
- Repeat this twice more.

Basically, you’re taking your pulse (after stepping), at 15-30 seconds, 45-60 seconds and 75-90 seconds. Add the three pulse readings together and this is your score. Compare to the chart below.

Women’s Results

The 12-Minute Test

The basis of this test is to try to cover as much distance (in kms) as possible in 12 minutes.

- Find a stretch of pavement or measurable running track of which you can easily measure the distance.
- Gradually warm-up with a bit of light walking and stretching.
- Starting a stop-watch, time yourself for 12 mins, and see how far you can go within this time.
- Try to maintain a consistent pace for the 12 mins (rather than going nuts at the start, and detonating like a lead balloon after 2 minutes!)
- After 12 minutes, gradually warm down
- Once you’ve caught your breath, measure the distance that you covered (you may have to hop in the car to measure).
Your fitness level is predicted in the chart below based on the distance covered and your age.

So there you have it! A few ways of checking out your form, these tests can be a great starting point for a fitness program – and also a way to monitor if your fitness is actually improving!