Women can age at wildly different rates. Some women look 40 when they're actually 30, and yet others could pass for 50 when they're actually 60.
In Age Erasers for Women, the greatest collection of stay-young secrets ever assembled, the editors of Women's Health provide the tools to assess your true age, and then share the latest science on how you can defy the ever-forward-ticking clock.
Take this quiz, adapted from the book, to find out how fit you really are…and then order your copy of Age Erasers for Women today to seize control of your life's direction!
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1. Lower-Body Strength: Wall Sit
How long you can literally hold your own weight is the
ultimate measure of your muscular endurance—the
amount of time your muscles can keep going full
force. That’s key for everything, from being wobblefree
in your favorite Ashtanga class to hauling your
new flea market finds upstairs.
Instructions: Stand with your back to a wall, your feet hip-width apart. Press your head, shoulders, back, and hips against the wall, then lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold for as long as possible.
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2. Core Strength: Hover
This move hits your transverse abdominus, one of the
muscles that stabilize your core. When your core is
weak, your entire body is less stable, putting you at a
higher risk for sprains and strains. Beyond that, a
strong middle gives you the power to sprint like a track
star or serve like a Wimbledon regular.
Instructions: Get in the plank position. (This looks
very similar to the starting position of a pushup, except
that your forearms should lay flat on the floor
with your elbows directly below your shoulders.) Contract
your abdominals, glutes, and hamstrings. Hold
your body perfectly straight—don’t let your back arch
or drop—for as long as possible.
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3. Test Your Flexibility
According to a 2007 study published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, placing your hands on a Swiss ball to do pushups makes your arms work 30 percent harder than when you have them on the floor.
Instructions: Mastery of regular pushups is
recommended before attempting this exercise.
Get in the bottom of a pushup position with your
hands on a Swiss ball. Keeping your legs and body
straight and your feet hip-width apart, balance
on your toes. Extend your arms and contract all
your torso muscles to lift off the ball until your
arms are nearly straight. Return to the starting
position and repeat as many times as possible
with good form.
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4. Balance and Flexibility: Standing Bow Pose
Talk flexibility and everyone wants to know if you can
touch your toes. But it’s really the muscles that make
up the front of your body—especially your hip flexors
and quads—that are the most likely to be as stiff as
frozen taffy.
Instructions: Stand tall with your feet together
and your arms at your sides. Lift your left knee and
balance on your right foot. Then reach back and
grasp your left foot with your left hand. Raise your
right arm in front of you for balance. Keeping your
hips square, slowly tilt your upper body forward as
one long unit while you lift your left leg even higher
behind you.
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5. Endurance: 5-minute Run
Running is the hallmark of cardio fitness.
Instructions: Warm up with a brisk walk for 3–5 minutes. Then up the pace and run as far as
you can in 5 minutes. For the easiest scoring, do this on a treadmill.
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