Gauge Your Fitness Level Using the Marine Corps Test [Exercise]
So you've decided to get into shape. Before you put on your running shoes or hit the gym, it may be worth knowing just how out of shape you are—you know for motivation. The Marine Corps Fitness test can help.
Photo by DVIDSHUB.
The Marine Corps Fitness test is comprised of three parts: pull-ups, crunches, and a three-mile run. All three tests must be performed in one continuous session, and you only have up to two hours to complete as much as you can.
Each exercise has specific instructions, so concerning the crunches, for example, if your derriere isn't in constant contact with the ground and both your arms don't remain in constant contact with your rib cage throughout, that crunch doesn't count.
Hit up the below link to see the minimum fitness requirements for your age group. As a potential benchmark, the highest score involves performing 20 pull-ups, 100 crunches in two minutes, and running three miles in 18 minutes.
Mythbusting: Four Myths About Staying Hydrated Debunked [Beat The Heat]
Your mom wasn't completely wrong about the need to stay hydrated in hot weather, but your sweet old mum, and many others, have been needlessly worrying about the wrong things. Here are four hydration myths you can safely discard.
Want to check out all the myths on a single page? Try this gallery-free link.
Busted: "Drink eight glasses of water a day"
Snopes.com does a great job breaking open this health advice snippet that everybody and their grandparents (and especially your grandparents) offer up when nearby people say they're parched. It might have started as a reference point for the easily dehydrated, like infants and the elderly, or it might have derived from measuring IV drip output over a day. Either way, it is, at best, akin to stating that one should cook all their food to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, just to ensure every single living thing is dead inside it; at worst, you're over-spending on bottled water and working your kidneys a bit too hard. Photo by Oslo in the Summertime.
Busted: "Caffeinated beverages don't count"
The Center for Human Nutrition released their study results after monitoring the hydration of 18 healthy men drinking water, coffee, caffeinated and caffeine-free sodas, and juices. Their results "found no significant differences" in hydration with any combination of drinks, and suggests that those who normally take in caffeine retain at least half the fluid in their coffees, Mountain Dew Code Reds, or other boosters of choice. Of course, that study is based on drinking a "normal" amount of coffee by a "normal" person, and it doesn't quite extend to alcohol—that actually produces a net loss of fluid, but that's at a "noticeable" level after more than one drink. Photo by André Banyai.
Busted: "Feeling thirsty is 'too late'"
Some of us sit at a desk for most of our working day. Some of us get serious exercise. Some of us break a sweat just heading out to our car at noon in our sunny states, while others are lucky to break 72 in the summer. The one common denominator of how much water you need? Your mouth and its ability to tell you you're thirsty. Those nutritionists and doctors who don't believe in arbitrary fluid amounts say that drinking for thirst is fine, and that being thirsty is not "too late." Photo by DownTown Pictures.
Busted: "You need sports drinks for outdoor exercise"
As WebMD points out, and as almost every coach we've ever had will tell you, plain old tap water is fine for the vast majority of sweat-inducing outdoor activities. If you're running or undertaking another strenuous activity for an hour or more, you might consider one of those crazy-colored liquids to replace the sodium, potassium, and magnesium you're losing through sweat—but watered-down fruit juice can often get the same trick done, and it definitely sells at a much lower mark-up. Photo by Yezi9713.