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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Joel Snape

How fit are you? 11 ways to easily test your strength, balance and mobility – and make them all better

Illustration of people exercising in various positions
Clockwise from left: standing cross-crunch, modified Cook squat, plank, wall press-up. Illustration: Millie Chesters/The Guardian

How often do you take a long hard look at your body? Not how it appears in the mirror, but how strong, flexible and capable it is. Even if you run, lift or stretch semi-regularly, it’s possible that you’re missing a niggle or imbalance that’s easy to fix now, but could blossom into serious problems in a few months or years. It’s also possible that a couple of easy exercises could give a huge boost to your later life, thanks to improved cardiovascular endurance, or better upper body strength.

With that in mind, we’ve assembled a team of experts to put together a kind of MOT for your body. Do all the tests – preferably not in one day – and see where you can easily improve.

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