Test Your Fitness

Why do people exercise?

Exercise is to improve oxygen delivery and metabolic processes build strength and endurance, reduce fat and improve joints and muscles. No one is too young to exercise. There are 3 types of exercises namely endurance/aerobics, strength and streching. Also there are different ways to test your fitness depending on how hard you can work.

How much is enough?

Actually,there's no magic formula for determining how much exercise you need. Most exercise is easy to overdo. Here are some rough guidelines on how much exercise is enough for you. But first you must seek medical advice.

Medical advice

You should get advice from your doctor before initiating any exercise program if you :

• are male over 35 yrs old or female over 40 yrs old


• are 7 kg overweight or more


• have doubts regarding your health


• have any past medical history or on medication


• have not exercise for quite a while or regularly

If you have a chronic illness, walking is recommended as a fitness exercise.

Your fitness guideline

Several studies suggest that the best way to exercise is about moderate intensity aerobic [endurance] exercise per week. Activities include walking, swimming, cycling, and low impact aerobics.

• Frequency - 3 to 4 times per week


• Duration - from a few minutes and increasing gradully to 30 minutes a session


• Intensity - no more than moderate intensity. Exercise intensity is measured by how hard you work. High intensity can lead to injury and discomfort

What is moderate intensity for you?

• Talk test - try talking to yourself or to another person. Moderate intensity exercise allows you to speak comfortably. However it is not applicable if you have any lung disease


• Perceived exertion - using a working scale 0-10. A good level is between 3-6 on this scale. At this point you will feel warmer, breathing deeply and faster, heart beating faster but no pain. Pain is nature's way telling you to ease up or stop


• Heart rate - moderate intensity raises the heart rate to 60-80% of your max heart rate (decline with age). If your HR range is more than the upper end, don't panic, slow down a bit

Heart rate range

Subtract your age from 220 eg : 220 - age = a

Lower end HR range - Multiply answer a by 0.6 eg : a x 0.6 = b

Upper end HR range - Multiply answer a by 0.8 eg : a x 0.8 = c