Posted on January 7, 2010 - by Cate

Whole Body Action Plan: Assessing Fitness

In the spirit of New Year resolutions and a desire to be a healthier me,  I’ve been considering the Whole Body Action Plan and decided I need to assess my fitness. To give you a sense of how avoidant I am on the topic of my own health and fitness, I haven’t stepped on a scale in about 15 years (with my eyes open). I was given a Wii Fit, per my request, for last Mother’s Day and haven’t used it. I’ve always been slightly overweight (20-ish pounds) and have done Atkins, South Beach etc. And while I can peel it off, I can’t keep it off. And I know we’ve all heard that before. I love to cook and eat, in fact I have a food blog, Modest Bounty, that fairly depicts my outlook on food (organic, sustainable, local) and cooking (french, italian, exploring) so I think I’d rather increase my activity and modify my intake rather than undertake a true “diet.”

So, I’ve gotten into a positive frame of mind and I’ve counseled myself on no extreme changes, but a gradual transition. In addition to the Wii Fit,  I thought I’d add walking and yoga. But where to start? I know, I know — I need to weigh myself, but I’m thinking I need to psychologically build up to that. I’ve made an appointment with my internist for a physical and I think I’ll actually open my eyes for the first time when they put me on the scale (end of January). I may take someone with me for moral support and then drink heavily afterwards. But I digress. As I was contemplating this resolution,  I got an email newsletter in December about this program, the Whole Body Action Plan and I thought I would explore (not necessarily committed at this point, but exploring).

First up that’s practical and do-able for me is the Fitness Assessment. There are four suggested components to the assessment:

1. Cardiovascular Endurance
2. Arm Strength
3. Core Strength
4. Flexibility

Let’s see how I did: I began with the cardiovascular test which is basically 3 minutes of stepping up and down (12″ vertically). I chose my first step of my stairway, grabbed my iPhone with the stopwatch feature and away I “climbed.” Upon the 3 minute mark, I took my pulse and looked at the chart to compare my results. I was at the bottom of average for age 47 and encouraged to shoot for the high end of average by the end of the Action Plan. So far so good, off to a decent start.

Next, Arm Strength. I’ve always had questionable upper body strength so I assumed this would be a total flop, but I was pleasantly surprised. I fell once again into the average category, easily doing 12. Onto Core Strength! I’m on a roll! I’m fitter than I thought!

I have no core. I mean, the middle of me is a morass of floppy muscle and flubber that couldn’t sustain any of the required positions for an average length of time. I repeat. I have no core. I don’t know where it went. I don’t know how to find it.

Flexibility was last and apparently I am rigid if not brittle. Sitting with legs slightly spread apart, bend forward and reach out with your arms, hands touching the floor. (I even unbuttoned/unzipped my jeans in the event they would impede my progress — note to self, yoga pants next time.) Goal is to reach 4.5″ beyond your feet! I’m at -6″. Or as the feedback indicates, those exceeding -3″ need to “keep trying.”

Okay, a split decision. Probably a decent snapshot. So what next?

I live in the Midwest and as I look out my window snow is falling at a pretty good clip (6″ today — wow that number, oh, this one is a positive 6″) and I have anticipated inclement weather by purchasing adequate footwear for walking, even in the winter! I’ve signed up for a Yoga 101 class which begins the first week of February. I would begin the Wii Fit, but it will weigh me before suggesting a series of routines, and I’m NOT ready yet. So I think I will walk and begin reviewing the “detox” portion of the program. Liquids for breakfast and dinner (smoothies and soups), with a main, healthy meal at lunch. I’ll report back on this in my next entry.