Fit Enough to Horse Around?

Today I have the pleasure of bringing you a guest post from long time friends with whom I have recently connect with again. I went to high school with these two very funny women who aim to become the Click and Clack of the fitness world! [I also traveled to and lived in Berlin with Kymberly in 1982 where she taught at the first aerobics studio in Berlin!]

Without further ado, here is a recent Q & A from Kymberly and Alexandra of Fun and Fit...

Dear Fun and Fit: Kymberly and Alexandra:

Q:I want to know the best way for me to determine my fitness level without going to a gym.  What kind of tests or guidelines can I use to test myself? (background - I'm 50 (!), run a horse ranch with my husband, have daily exercise, but not a set routine or cardio).

Dana, Santa Ynez, CA

Dear Dana:

K: I'll meet your question and raise you one. What do you want to do with the information you get from a fitness test? For instance, you could ask "how do I know if I am fit enough to keep these hossies of mine in good condition and still have energy to plow the fields, till the land, and ride off into the sunset?" Then your fitness level is defined by your ability to function and continue doing the activities you love.

This kind of fitness is called "functional" or "real life fitness." Well, I call it "real life fitness" anyway and I think my sis will back me up on any terms I make up. Hey, I went along with her new word "plumpers" back on the posting "Perky or Saggy: Push-Ups or Push Up Bra." For determining your functional fitness level, you have an easy job. Can you do the ranch work and other daily activities with relative ease, comfort and range of motion without getting exhausted or injured at the end of the day? And can you keep doing that until you or your horses head out to pasture? Easy, shmeasy to measure, so I hope you go for that definition of fitness.

Your question might also be coming from the perspective of "how do I measure percent of body fat, lean muscle mass, flexibility, and endurance without actually taking those tests, which are the standards for defining and measuring fitness?" That question is a horse of a different color entirely. Oh, two points to me for getting that in! I have to cut to Alexandra for a moment while I contain (or applaud) myself.

A: I have to say that Kymberly is not containing herself at all; she is just horsing around! Oh, neigh it ain't so! For all those measurement tests Kymberly mentions, you will need to go to a qualified personal trainer. Since you are a horse rancher, not a gym rat, get the trainer to come to you. You can find one in your area at acefitness.org/findanacepro/default.aspx. But...since you say you want to test yourself, go in your closet and try on all the stuff you haven't worn in a year. If it fits, you know you are the same size.

Next, count how many push-ups you can do with good form. Make a record. Count your push-ups again in 3 months. Compare the numbers. Burst out in tears of joy. Same with lunges or squats. Gotta say, in all my years, it's rare to see someone perform a lunge, squat or push-up with good form right out the gate (oooh, another horse reference). So we are back to that personal trainer idea.

Since you need at least one good chuckle from this blog, I'd say ask your husband to check you out first thing in the morning before you get dressed. If he says you look hot and exactly like you did at 30, you are fit. And he gets points for dodging that set-up. If he says you don't look quite the same, throw a horse at him. If you can do this, you are fit enough!


Kymberly Williams-Evans, MA
Kymberly has taught fitness on 4 continents in 4 languages for bunches of years. Her fitness career spans land, sea, and airwaves. Come to think of it, her writing and speaking career has done the same. From hosting an international fitness tv program to serving as grammar expert on a live show, Kymberly has taught, led, moved and grooved with energy and good grammar.  

Alexandra Williams, MA

Alexandra has degrees in medieval studies and counseling, which qualifies her for more studies (or parenting)! In a quest for perfection, she has taught in the fitness world for more than half her life, written, edited, emceed, travelled around, studied a few languages, hosted a radio show and presented her programs to mostly anyone. She once saved mankind by wrangling a gopher snake off the dog's bed. Quest On!

You can get more of Kymberly and Alexandra's Fit and Fun repartee on their Facebook page and you can ask your own fitness questions as well. Behind the fun there is serious expertise about health and fitness.

Comments

[Denise Wakeman]

Be sure to check out Kymberly & Alexandra's Facebook page. Seriously, they know fitness and would be happy to answer your fun and fit questions!

[ask doctor online]

I will check their facebook I really need their advice.

[Acai Optimum]

interesting blog, i really learnt a lot from you... i got to know a lot ways of eating healthy from your blog... I would appreciate if i could get a time table to healthy food i can eat to keep me healthy