This is a more accurate method of assessing your fitness, but it is slightly more complicated. First you need to learn to take your own pulse. There are three good places to do this.
The first, and most convenient, is on your wrist. Using three fingers, lightly press your wrist at the base of the thumb [...]

Can you cope with heavy exertion? Run without becoming breathless? Does it take a while for you to simmer down again? The real test of fitness is your aerobic capacity. Aerobic means ‘with air or oxygen’ and the activities which fall into this category include running, brisk walking, cycling etc. To understand their importance you [...]

This is the area where women are traditionally weakest. Bear in mind that muscular strength does not necessarily mean the ability to lift heavy weights – and you don’t have to prove your femininity by being feeble! It’s more to do with good, firm muscle tone. When you don’t use your muscles they grow weak [...]

Being supple means easy, graceful movement, flexible joints and active, well-toned muscles. If you can’t bend down without groaning, or find it hard to reach a high shelf or do up your bra, you’ll need to do stretching exercises, known as calesthenics, to increase your flexibility. Lack of suppleness could also lead to poor posture [...]

As the saying goes, if you don’t want to lose it, use it. The body deteriorates if it is not used fully enough. Like a creaky old machine that needs oiling, it splutters and grumbles, dawdles along. If you have ever been in a hospital and had to stay in bed for a week or [...]

What is the most important thing you can do for your health? Most of the world’s top experts agree that keeping your weight within reasonable limits and taking physical exercise has to be top priorities. The only trouble about exercise is getting started! We all mean to do it, one day, but somehow or other [...]