Testing Your Fitness,What’s Your Health History?
What’s
Your Health History?
When you join a gym, one of the first
things you should be asked to do — after signing your check, of course — is to
fill out a health-history questionnaire. Your answers to these questions give a
snapshot of your overall wellbeing, including you’re eating and exercise
habits, your risk for developing cardiovascular disease, and any orthopedic
limitations or medical conditions that you may have. Typical questions include:
Do you have any chronic joint problems such as arthritis? Do you have a high
stress level? Are you currently taking any over-the-counter or prescription
medications?
If you don’t belong to a gym, ask yourself the following questions, which are
designed to indicate your risk of developing heart disease:
ü Are you inactive?
ü Do you have a history of heart disease?
ü Do you have diabetes or high blood sugar?
ü Do you have a history of high blood pressure?
ü Did your mother, father, sister, or brother develop any form of
heart disease before age 50?
heart disease before age 50?
ü Do you smoke cigarettes, or have you quit within the last two
years?
ü Do you have high cholesterol — either total cholesterol higher
than 200
mg/dl or HDL less than 40 mg/dl?
mg/dl or HDL less than 40 mg/dl?
If you answer “yes” to at least one
question and you’re over age 35, see a
physician for a complete medical evaluation before you even pursue a fitness
testing session. A physician is the only one who can accurately determine
whether exercising puts you in any danger. If you answer “yes” to two or more
questions, get a checkup no matter how old you are.
physician for a complete medical evaluation before you even pursue a fitness
testing session. A physician is the only one who can accurately determine
whether exercising puts you in any danger. If you answer “yes” to two or more
questions, get a checkup no matter how old you are.
Some gyms request that you be tested by a physician if a staff member feels
you may have a medical problem. Don’t groan; a request like this indicates
that your gym is on the ball. Some health clubs just want your money. They
may not require any testing — other than the test that determines whether
you can sign your name on a credit-card slip. If that’s the case, you need to
take responsibility for getting tested.
After you fill out your questionnaire, your tester should discuss the answers
with you and ask for more information if necessary. If you’re a smoker, for
example, he may ask you how much you smoke. Respond honestly and thoroughly. Don’t say that you run 5 miles a day if you haven’t broken a sweat
since high school — or if you intend to run every day but just haven’t gotten
around to it.
Let your tester judge what’s important. Liz tested two men who
failed to tell
her that they’d each had a lung removed. Another client neglected to mention that he had serious congenital heart problems. Two weeks later, he passed out while running on the treadmill and hit his head on the way down, causing a life-threatening head injury. Lucky for him, an ambulance arrived within five minutes, and the paramedics were able to save him.
her that they’d each had a lung removed. Another client neglected to mention that he had serious congenital heart problems. Two weeks later, he passed out while running on the treadmill and hit his head on the way down, causing a life-threatening head injury. Lucky for him, an ambulance arrived within five minutes, and the paramedics were able to save him.
Testing Your Fitness,What’s Your Health History?
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