A home based fitness assessment

Here is a brief reminder of my goals for you… that you discover and nurture:

- A mind that is clear and happy 

- A body that is fit and functional and

- Good internal health (cells and organs)

So, this is a self development programme and involves a continuous exploration of finding your best way to great health and vibrancy.

These write ups and daily classes are here to help you make this path smooth. 

Last week had movement tests. This week is about fitness tests. To join in with the whole lot, you do need a few pieces of equipment, however nothing is too expensive and the information you gather could be priceless!

For today, just take measurements with what you have available and for the basics you only need a camera, a full length mirror and a tape measure!

First up, here is a repeat of some wording from last week about the advantages of taking physical measurements:

• They help give you direction of what to work on
• Help with goal setting
• They can reveal an area of fitness you didn’t know needed attention
• They provide a point in time for future comparison
• They can help with accountability
• When you compare results in three months, you can see (and feel) the difference
• And that in turn can help spur you on for renewed vigour and inspiration for the next three months

Explanation notes that accompany the five part Dojiva fitness assessment:

(Dojiva members please login for the accompanying video).

1 Take photos

This is of course an optional step and not always a popular thing to do, especially if you’re out of shape at the moment. However, photos help you to see your overall shape, the balance of your body parts and they give you feedback about your posture.

A repeated Dojiva tenant is to honour and embrace your current condition. This means beginning exactly where you are. If you can match yourself in this way, then you have solid ground from which to move steadily and definitely in the direction of good health. Then, with the right mindset and appropriate lifestyle practices, these up coming three months could see a big change.

2 - Mirror image

Another visual assessment is to take a look in a full length mirror. Mirrors vary and can be flattering or not! Either way, this practice provides valuable information and a present moment truth of your overall body shape/type. Once again, embrace what you see and if you do do this part of the assessment, I recommend saying some realistic yet positive words at the same time. E.g.

Said with a smile… 

“ok, I have some work to do, but I’m ready to begin a new chapter in my physical health”

“I have some good bits here and some not so good, but I know what to work on and I believe the coming three months will see some positive shifts”

“My arms and legs look great, but I can see that I need to trim up around them middle. I’m ready to make changes to my diet am committed to dynamic exercise and I’m excited for my future health”

“I can see that my posture looks a bit slumped. I will commit to three Dojiva mobility classes a week for the next three months”

Add your own line here:

”Your words of realistic encouragement here”

3 - Girths

The measurement of girths is one of easiest and best tests you can do and you just need a sewing type tape measure.

Many people carry excess weight around their midsection (an apple-shaped body) compared to the hips (a more pair shaped body) and this has been associated with diseases such heart disease and diabetes. Ideally the waist is smaller than the hips.

When we measure two of our body’s girths we can make a calculation that is possibly the most important part of this whole test.

Enter the hip - to - waist ratio

To get the number, you need to divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. E.g. my waist is 30 inches and my hips are 37 inches. When I divide 30” by 37”, I get a figure of 0.81. 

The key point is to be less than 1 for men and less than 0.85 for women. However, to reduce the risk of disease and for a more athletic figure, the lower the number the better. If you’re above this, you may have some work to do. Let me know if you need some tips.

So, a more ideal number would be around 0.8 for men and 0.7 for women.

4 - Skin fold callipers

To estimate your percentage of body fat, you can use skin-fold callipers to measure seven sites around the body. With an online calculation, you can easily do the maths. This combined with the smart scales below can help to improve accuracy.

5 - Body Composition Scales

Note, these are not the most accurate of devices and you will need to download an App to your smart phone or tablet. I am using Kamtron scales with the Feelfit App.

Also, the set up of your scales might have different options than are listed below. If you’re not sure about all the different readings, or don’t have the App, for now just take a measurement of your weight.

A few more considerations before you load the App and step on the scales. First up, have clean, dry and bare feet! And, avoid the following for several hours before taking measurements:

• A heavy meal
• A tough workout
• Alcohol
• A hot shower/bath/sauna/steam room
• If unwell or have a fever

Here we go with the five part assessment 

When you take the measurements, it is best to be consistent with the same time of day/week/month. And ideally your exercise/fasting/eating/hydration levels are also constant. You can make notes in a journal, an electronic calendar or simply print off this blog.

I recommended a three month break between tests

When you have your results, let me know if you would like a private session to help interpret them and to create a plan of action.

1 - General

Today’s date:

Today’s time:

Height:

Weight:

List your top two exercise/movement goals:

1

2

2 - Visual assessments

Take three photos with minimal clothes and a clear background. You can have somebody else take these for you or use a tripod and a self timer on your camera phone. Alternatively, instead of photos, you could take a short video of yourself from different angles.

• Front view (make notes here) -
• Side view (make notes here) -
• Back view (make notes here) -
• Mirror - (make notes here) - 

3 - Girths

You will need a material tape measure and be consistent with centimetres or inches)

Hips (widest point at glutes):

Waist (narrowest part, usually at or slightly above the navel):

Ratio of these two (waist divided by hips):

Left upper arm (mid point):

Right upper arm (mid point):

Left upper thigh (mid point):

Right upper thigh (mid point):

Left calf (mid point):

Right calf (mid point):

Chest:

Neck:

4 - Skin-fold callipers

This is a tried and tested manual way to calculate body fat %. Be consistent with the right side of your body (arm, leg, abs, chest etc):

Tricep:

Suprailiac:

Abs:

Side ribs:

Scapula:

Pec:

Quads:

Total mm of all seven sites:

Once you have your total, click here to calculate percentage body fat:

https://www.trainermetrics.com/fitness-assessment-calculations/body-fat-7-site-skinfold-jackson-pollock/ 

Total %

5 - Body Composition Scales:

Weight:

BMI:

Body fat:

Visceral fat:

Body water:

Skeletal muscle:

Muscle mass:

Bone mass:

Protein:

Metabolic age:

Well done, let me know if you have any questions

That’s it for this week, thanks for reading.

Take care

Danny

Members can login here and for the ten day Dojiva trial - click here

Below are this week's suggested Dojiva classes:

Sunday 23rd Nov 2025 - Fitness assessment - self - See notes above.

Monday 24th - Mini fitness 107 - Today‘s class does not follow our usual format. We enjoy three rounds of four, 90 second exercises for the legs. The main difference is that the exercises are grouped together which makes each round approximately 6 minutes!

Tuesday 25th - Mobility 73 - In this class, you get to sense your pelvic alignment before trying out a variety of stretches. The question is, which stretch suits your body best?

Wednesday 26th - Meditation 62 - This week’s guided meditation.

Thursday 27th - Workout 81 - 12 sets of functional (standing) and mat work (Pilates type) strength training. You have the choice to use dumbbells or a suspension training device.

Friday 28th - Mobility 109 - From mat work that is slow and gentle to functional moves that are fast and dynamic… today we explore the extremes of shoulder flexibility. 

Saturday 29th - Mini fitness 03 - Get the weekend going with this short and sweet class (it’s under 20 minutes). After three minutes of continuous exercises we have four intervals.