You puff your way up the stairs and running for the bus feels like you’re running a marathon. But just how out of shape are you actually? It’s time to stop living in denial, gentlemen: here are the facts.
Depending on your age, your heart rate should be anywhere between 140 and 190 beats per minute. If you’re fit and exercising regularly, your heart will beat faster to pump the oxygen you need throughout your body. According to Livestrong, if you’ve raised your heartbeat, it will decrease by roughly 20 beats per minute until it’s back at a normal pace – if you’re fit enough. If it’s taking you longer for your heart rate to slow down, that’s the first sign that you’re seriously out of shape.
Becoming totally winded after the first couple of stairs means that you desperately need to get yourself back in the gym
Finding yourself a little out of breath as you climb the stairs is normal, but becoming totally winded after the first couple means that you desperately need to get yourself back in the gym. It’s not normal and is one of the first signs that your body is calling out for some cardio.
If you’re eating more sugar than you know you should be, it’s because your body is running on empty energy. Working out may sound counterproductive to gaining energy, but the hormones and endorphins that it releases are scientifically proven to give you incredible energy – that lasts all day long. Also, exercising early in the day is likely to make you want to make cleaner choices when it comes to the food you eat throughout the day.
Likewise, you might assume that an early morning workout is going to leave you with exhaustion levels through the roof throughout the day, but you’re wrong. According to research conducted by the American Council on Exercise, exercising on a regular basis is the key to staying energised throughout the day.
The single press-up is an incredible way to test your overall physical fitness
The single press-up is an incredible way to test your overall physical fitness, purely because of the number of muscles in your back, shoulders, arms and core that you’re using. If you’re under 50, you should easily be able to do 5-10 press-ups in one go. Try it now. If you can’t, there’s only one thing for it, and that’s to hit the gym right now.
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