Early Physical Exercise and it's Influences Later in Life

We all dread getting old. Your body begins to fall deteriorate, your mobility is lessened, and your mind slowly fades. What if you could prevent this or at least slow down the process significantly? You may not realize it, but the physical fitness that you do today not only affects your life right now, but will make a significant difference in the way you age. The more physical we are now, the better physical health we will have later on in our life. As we exercise more, our body and immune system will get stronger and function more properly. If we develop habits now, to stay physically active, the chances that we will continue those habits into later adulthood and old age are significantly higher than if we live a sedentary life during our twenties. In recent studies, it has been found that having early fitness can improve our middle age brain (NY times).

As people reach middle age it becomes more frequent to forget names, certain words, or where they left their keys. These midlife experiences strike people later or earlier than others. While it is known that genetics play a role in this, the idea of physical activity and it influence has always been unclear until recently. Dr. David R. Jacobs has just now concluded after a study that the ability to think well during your middle age depends on a large degree of your lifestyle as a young adult. "It looks like the roots of cognitive decline go back decades," said Dr. Jacobs. With that in mind think to yourself: how active are you? Are you living a physically active lifestyle or significantly sedentary? To help see how you compare to others your age here are some ways in which to compare your physical physique with others your age.

Body Mass Index  

Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated from a person's weight and height. BMI is a somewhat reliable way to calculate an accurate body fat percentage. It is not as accurate as other methods, but this gives you an idea as to where you fall under. Your BMI is calculated using the following formula:

weight(kg) / (height(m) x height(m))

When you calculate your BMI, you can compare it to the chart according to your gender to see where you lie with the rest of the general population.                                                                                                                               


            

BMI	Weight Status
Below 18.5	Underweight
18.5 – 24.9	Normal
25.0 – 29.9	Overweight
30.0 and Above	Obese

Measurement Units	Formula and Calculation
Kilograms and meters (or centimeters)	Formula: weight (kg) / [height (m)]2 With the metric system, the formula for BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Since height is commonly measured in centimeters, divide height in centimeters by 100 to obtain height in meters. Example: Weight = 68 kg, Height = 165 cm (1.65 m) Calculation: 68 ÷ (1.65)2 = 24.98
Pounds and inches	Formula: weight (lb) / [height (in)]2 x 703 Calculate BMI by dividing weight in pounds (lbs) by height in inches (in) squared and multiplying by a conversion factor of 703. Example: Weight = 150 lbs, Height = 5'5" (65") Calculation: [150 ÷ (65)2] x 703 = 24.96

How does your physical ability compare?

The Presidents Test consists of varied physical challenges that you can complete. By comparing your time or amount completed you can see how you compare to the general population. 

Follow the link below with the following information to see what percentile you fall under. 

http://www.adultfitnesstest.org/dataEntry.aspx

PERSONAL INFORMATION

1. State *   -- Select a State --  Alabama  Alaska  Arizona  Arkansas  California  Colorado  Connecticut  Delaware  District Of Columbia  Florida  Georgia  Hawaii  Idaho  Illinois  Indiana  Iowa  Kansas  Kentucky  Louisiana  Maine  Maryland  Massachusetts  Michigan  Minnesota  Mississippi  Missouri  Montana  Nebraska  Nevada  New Hampshire  New Jersey  New Mexico  New York  North Carolina  North Dakota  Ohio  Oklahoma  Oregon  Pennsylvania  Rhode Island  South Carolina  South Dakota  Tennessee  Texas  Utah  Vermont  Virginia  Washington  West Virgina  Wisconsin  Wyoming  Puerto Rico 
2. Gender * male  female
3. Age *  yrs

AEROBIC FITNESS

Must enter either a 1-mile walk time and heart rate or enter a 1.5-mile run time.

1. 1-Mile Walk Time minutes  secondsHeart Rate (after walk)  beats per minute
   Weight  lbs * required for result calculation
2. OR
3. 1.5-Mile Run Time minutes  seconds

MUSCULAR STRENGTH

1. Half Sit-Ups  (in one minute)
2. Push-Ups 

FLEXIBILITY

1. Sit and Reach inches

BODY COMPOSITION

BMI/BODY MASS INDEX

1. Enter height in feet AND inches. Enter all fields for a calculation.
   Height feet  inches
2. Weight  lbs
3. Waist Measurement  inches

Resources:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/07/a-fit-body-at-25-a-fit-brain-at-50/?module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Phys%20Ed&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs&region=Body
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/
https://www.presidentschallenge.org/challenge/physical/benchmarks.shtml
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