We have completed a fitness self-assessment to assess our overall health and fitness. Areas tested included cardiovascular, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, body composition, agility, balance and coordination. Once these assessments were completed, I chose an area that I was lacking to set a goal for myself. Height measurement is taken by easily marking the top of a person's head against a wall and measuring up to it. When taking height measurements, the person must remove their shoes before recording, and their feet, calves, back and head must all be in contact with the wall. To measure weight, a scale can be used. A reliable measure is taken by first asking the person to remove all items from their pockets and remove all heavy clothing. The person's hydration status and recent food consumption should be noted so that subsequent testing can be performed under identical conditions (“Taking Height, Weight, and BMI Measurements,” 2018). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Circumference measurements are typically used to determine fat gain or loss. The midsection of the waist and hips are common measuring areas because fat tends to accumulate there. The waist measurement is taken at the client's narrowest waist, while the hip measurement is taken at the largest protrusion of the gluteal muscles. The chest is another common measurement area and is taken by placing the measuring tape around the upper torso and under the armpits (“Taking Girth Measurements,” 2018). Anthropometry involves collecting statistics and measurements relating to the human body. I learned that when recording height and weight, we can use it to estimate our body mass index (BMI). This is a common way to assess whether a person's body weight to fat ratio is healthy for their size. However, BMI measurements are not very accurate for healthy, muscular people. They may be perceived as obese since muscle weighs more than fat, and this is not really differentiated on the BMI scale (“Taking Height, Weight, and 'BMI' Measurements,” 2018). Based on my measurements, my BMI is calculated to be 20.9, which is considered normal. Circumference measurements were another form of assessing body dimensions. Usually, if your girth measurements increase, this translates into an increase in your body fat. This suggests an increased risk of developing heart disease if fat accumulates around the waist. These assumptions are said to be only reliable when applied to populations with average to above average body fat. For men, a general guideline for measurements showing increased risk of heart disease is a waist circumference greater than 102 cm and a waist-to-hip ratio greater than 0.95 (“Taking Girth Measurements,” 2018). According to the data collected for myself, my waist measurement is 77 cm and my waist-to-hip ratio is 0.84. I'm quite below these guidelines and aim to maintain my height so as not to increase the risk of heart disease. Heart rate is the number of heartbeats counted in a 60-second period. This can be measured at rest or during exercise. Heart rate allows us to assess cardiovascular conditionof a person, because a decrease in resting heart rate over time due to training indicates an increase in cardiovascular fitness level. Measuring a person's heart rate can be done by taking the radial pulse. This is on the thumb side of the wrist with the palm facing up. You count the number of times a pulse is felt in a 60-second period. An alternative is to count the number of pulses at 15 seconds, then multiply that number by 4 to count the full 60 seconds (“Taking Heart Rate Measurements,” 2018). Blood pressure measurements are important to assess when systolic blood pressure or diastolic pressures are increased beyond normal limits, resulting in high blood pressure. The tools needed for this assessment are a stethoscope and a sphygmomanometer. To take blood pressure, the arm should be supported on a table or chair. The inflatable cuff is wrapped around the upper arm and a stethoscope is placed over the person's brachial artery. As the cuff inflates with air, the arterial pulse can be heard as the air is released from the cuff. Systolic pressure is measured at the first audible pulse of the brachial artery. The sound then becomes louder, then duller until it is no more. The point where one cannot hear the pulse is diastolic pressure (“Taking Blood Pressure Measurements,” 2018). Heart rate and blood pressure are common measurements when assessing a person's vital signs. I learned that a low resting heart rate is a sign of good fitness. Based on my heart rate measurements of 79 bpm, I am below the average for men since it is between 74 and 81 bpm (“Taking heart rate measurements”, 2018). I wasn't surprised by these results because I know my cardiovascular health could be better. It is also important to note that heart rate can be unstable and be affected by factors such as stress, nutrition or caffeine. When it comes to blood pressure, normal systolic blood pressure is less than 120 and normal diastolic blood pressure is less than 80 (“Taking Blood Pressure Measurements,” 2018). My recorded values ​​were 119/78, which is normal. I know my family has a history of hypertension, especially on my father's side, so I have to try to maintain my current blood pressure so as not to risk cardiovascular health problems. Skinfold measurement is a common method of measuring a person's body fat. percentage. This is a measurement of skinfold thickness on specific parts of the body. The tester pinches the skin at the site and pulls the fold of skin away from the body so that only skin and fatty tissue are retained. Special calipers are then used to measure the skinfold thickness in millimeters. A common 3-site measurement in men includes the pectoral, abdominal, and quadriceps areas to measure fat. This data is then entered into a body composition calculator to reveal body fat percentage (Quinn, 2018). After my skinfold measurement, I entered my measurements into a body fat calculator and I have 18.2% body fat, which is average ("Body Composition", 2018). Now I know how to perform this proficiency on the areas I had measurements on I also realized how uncomfortable this test can be since the calipers pinch the skin quite tightly. The sit and reach test is used to measure a person's flexibility, especially from the bottom ofback and hamstrings. All you need is a box 30 cm high and one meter long. To perform this test, the client should sit with legs straight and bare feet against the box, and the head and back flat against a wall. The client is asked to stretch their arms toward the box without their head and back losing contact with the wall. The ruler is placed at the end where the fingertips arrive to establish a zero point. Now the customer can lean as far as possible along the length of the ruler a total of three times (“Sit and Reach Test,” 2018). Flexibility has always been one of my weak points. After performing the test, I was able to reach 18 cm. For men, this height is below average, which ranges from 26.5 to 17 cm (“Sit and Reach Test”, 2018). Every time I try to stretch my hamstrings trying to reach my toes, I can never get very far, and my legs would be so tight and hot if I tried to go any further. I used to take yoga classes years ago and my flexibility was much greater than it is today. From this assessment, I learned that I should try to incorporate a few minutes of stretching each day into my morning routine. The Overhead Squat Assessment (OHSA) helps analyze the health of a client's kinetic chain. An overhead squat uses all of the musculature from head to toe when successfully completed, so it's a good movement to help assess musculoskeletal function. Honest results are obtained when minimal instructions are given to the client. Coaching beyond basic protocols could distort the natural path the client's body wants to follow during the squat. The client should keep their hands straight and squat as low as possible for approximately 15 repetitions. The trainer should then assess clients from an anterior, lateral, and posterior angle to detect any form of deviation. Few notable compensations include moving the foot, moving the knee in/out, moving forward, lower back arches/rounds, arms falling forward, head forward, shoulder raise, foot flatten, heel raise, and asymmetrical weight transfer (“The Overhead Squat Assessment”). , 2015). The OHSA is a very comprehensive assessment that helps identify obscurities in a person's kinetic chain. During my evaluation, a classmate noticed that I had some arch in my lower back when viewed from the lateral direction and that my knees moved slightly inward when viewed from the anterior position. According to “The Overhead Squat Assessment” (2015), lumbar arching could be due to an overactive hip flexor complex of the spinal erectors. It could also be due to an underactive gluteus maximus, hamstrings, or intrinsic core muscles. Some strengthening exercises I could implement into my day are ball squats and floor bridges. An inward movement of the knee would be due to an overactive adductor complex, the tensor fascia latae or the vastus lateralis. Underactive muscles such as the vastus medialis and medial hamstrings can contribute to the inward movement of the knee during a squat. Some helpful strengthening exercises include an abducted ball squat and an adducted ball bridge. The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) is used to assess static postural stability, typically in populations with concussion, mild head injury, and vestibular disorders. . This test requires a foam pad, a stopwatch and an assistant to assist the proctor,as well as a BESS scorecard. Six conditions are required for this test and should only take ten minutes to administer. The patient should assume a double-legged stance with the feet together, a single-legged stance on the non-dominant foot, and a tandem stance with the non-dominant foot behind the back. These conditions are all tested barefoot with the patient's eyes closed for 20 minutes. seconds each, and on a firm surface and a foam surface. These trials are scored by counting errors during these 20 seconds, with the maximum number of errors in a single condition being 10. Errors include removing the hands from the iliac crest, stepping, tripping, or falling, eye opening, hip abduction or flexion beyond 30 degrees, lifting the forefoot or heel off the test surface and remaining out of the appropriate test position for more than 5 seconds. The number of errors in each trial is added for a total score of 60. A lower score indicates better balance and fewer errors (“Balance Error Scoring System,” 2017). The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) is used to assess dynamic stability which helps differentiate patients with lower extremity conditions such as chronic ankle instability, patellofemoral pain, and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. It is also used as a screening tool for sports participation and as a post-rehabilitation test to ensure dynamic functional symmetry. This test requires tape, a tape measure, test administrators, and a performance recording sheet. The installation includes two 120cm lengths of tape on the floor, crossing each other in the middle, with two additional tapes placed at 45 degree angles to form an 8-pointed star. The athlete must remove his shoes and stand in the center of the star. His hands should be placed firmly on the hips, and starting with the right foot for balance, reach the left leg as far as possible to lightly touch the ribbon timer in all directions. counterclockwise. The administrator must mark the place where the athlete touched the line with his toe. This test should then be repeated a total of three times for the same leg, then repeated with the opposite leg. Averages for each direction must then be calculated for each direction, providing a total of 16 scores (“Star Excursion Balance Test”, 2018). Both the Balance Error Scoring System and the Star Excursion Balance Test are reliable assessments for measuring static postural stability. and dynamic stability. Since I don't really have any vestibular issues, these balance tests weren't that difficult. In addition to what these tests measure, I have now learned how to administer them. This is beneficial to my future practice as a physiotherapist when carrying out assessments. The vertical jump test is used to assess lower extremity power by measuring the height a client is able to jump. All you need for this test is a tape measure or a marked wall and chalk to mark the wall. The client first stands next to a wall and extends the arm closest to the wall. The tip of the finger is marked, this is called the standing reach. The person then puts chalk on their finger to mark the height of their jump. Then, they move away from the wall to jump vertically as high as possible, while using both arms to propel the body upward. The client must attempt to touch the wall at the highest point of the jump, and the distance from standing height to jump height constitutes the score. The best of three attempts is..