53% of adults in the United States get the recommended amount of daily aerobic activity. However, only 23% get the recommended muscle-strengthening activity beyond that.
Self-assessment of one's physical fitness isn't always accurate.
So how do you ensure you're meeting your physical fitness goals? Figuring out exactly what your fitness status is can be the best way to start. Fitness lab tests can help you determine your current fitness status so you can work toward more optimal health.
Here's what you need to know about physical fitness lab tests and how they can help you hit peak performance.
What Is a Health Fitness, Stamina, and Performance Level?
The body is complex, and many factors come together to determine a fitness level. Your cardiovascular and muscular strength and endurance can generally help you assess your level. There are even factors that you can measure on your own at home to assess your fitness.
But without having more details about how your body reacts to a certain activity, it is difficult to improve stamina and strength. Fortunately, they're easy to get and interpret.
How Can Lab Tests Help Understand and Improve One's Fitness, Stamina, and Performance?
You may be working hard and noticing progress in your quest for physical fitness. But lab tests can give you insight into what is working and what isn't. With a detailed analysis, you may be able to improve your performance with less effort.
Stamina lab tests can help you identify where your routine may need to be changed. For instance, you can determine if your recovery times are too short. Or you can take regular tests to monitor how regimen changes affect your fitness level.
What Are the Signs of Internal Fitness, Stamina, and Performance?
You can observe some of the signs of internal fitness on your own using a few common tools. For example, you can check your resting heart rate. Monitoring body fat is another common technique.
You can also do physical tests to see how long it takes you to run a certain distance. Recording weight lifting performance or activities like push-ups can also give you some insight.
Monitoring these factors will give you a good idea of your fitness levels. But if you want to train like professional athletes, lab tests can give you a leg up.
How Are Fitness, Stamina, and Performance Measured With Lab Tests?
Lab tests can detect an almost endless list of health conditions. They can help you and your medical provider determine if there are any deficiencies so you can get to work on making up for them.
A complete blood count (CBC) test, for example, checks your white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. This can give you insight into how your body is transporting oxygen.
A comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) checks for compounds within your blood. This test can help give you insight into how your metabolism is working. Meanwhile, a lipid panel will check your cholesterol levels.
Are you looking to increase muscle mass? Checking your folate levels can help you understand how your body produces energy and repairs muscles. Another way to assess your body's muscle function is to test for magnesium levels.
Lab tests can also measure the amount of growth hormone in your blood. Deficiencies can indicate less muscle mass.
Are you worried about your cardiovascular health? Get a test that checks homocysteine levels.
Fitness lab tests will include all of these basic tests, along with several others. This gives you a bigger picture of your fitness levels than you'll see from recording training sessions. Here are your options.
- Fitness - Basic - The basic fitness test includes 4 different tests that examine 62 biomarkers.
- Fitness - Basic Plus - This test includes all of those included with the basic test. It also will give you aldolase results to provide insight to cardiovascular health.
- Fitness - Advanced - The advanced option includes 16 tests, including 80 biomarkers for the athlete looking to get serious.
- Fitness - Comprehensive - The comprehensive option is the best choice for those looking to become professional athletes. You will get back results from 25 tests including 116 biomarkers.
- Performance - Basic - If you are focused on performance, you may wish to start with the basic package that includes five tests showing 66 biomarker results.
- Performance - Basic Plus - The basic plus option provides 16 tests with 105 biomarkers.
- Performance - Advanced - If you are getting serious about your performance, take a look at the advanced package. It includes 20 tests with 112 biomarkers.
- Performance - Comprehensive - You'll get the most out of the comprehensive package. With 40 tests for 142 biomarkers, you can figure out everything you need to know about improving performance.
The Lab Tests to Screen, Diagnose, and Monitor Fitness, Stamina, and Performance
With Ulta Lab Tests, you have many different options to check your fitness and stamina levels. Beginners can check out the basic panels for fitness and performance. Even the most basic of panels will examine over 60 biomarkers.
Alternately, the pros can opt for a comprehensive performance panel. This test will give you feedback on 143 biomarkers.
For the casual athlete, there are many different options in between. The different levels allow you to get results on only what matters to you. Tests are easy to set up, and your results come back quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fitness, Stamina, and Performance and Lab Testing
How can I improve stamina?
Getting a blood test with a complete blood count (CBC) is a good start. Your test results will let you know how well your body transports oxygen. Once you have an accurate assessment of your stamina, you can work on aerobic exercise to increase it.
How can I monitor my physical performance?
Keeping a record of your heart rate, weight, and performance is a good start. Getting occasional lab tests will help you track your progress as you continue along your fitness journey.
How long do physical fitness lab tests take?
The lab test process is fairly quick. Once you select and purchase the test of your choice, you can set up a bloodwork appointment. After your bloodwork is done, you can expect results within a few business days.
How do I know which fitness lab test to get?
Review each of the fitness and performance tests first. Depending on how far you are in your fitness journey and how much data you would like, you have several options. To start, focus on the results that matter most to you. Taking another test in the future is easy.
Get the Right Fitness Lab Tests for You
Fitness lab tests can help take you from a fitness novice to a pro. They can help you figure out what areas need more work. It is also encouraging to watch the test results change over time as you become more physically fit.
You do not need a doctor's referral or health insurance to get started. You can simply pick the right test for you and get to work on improving your fitness. Check out our blood test offerings and take charge of your health today!
