Last week, I began my quest to figure out a good definition of fitness. Since active.com published Seven Ultimate Fitness Tests for Women, I will try each one out in hopes to figure this out. I was so glad to see that active.com considered flexibility an important component of fitness. Strength and cardiovascular skills are fabulous, but if you can't bend without snapping, I don't consider you fit!

Flexibility, in my opinion, is a very important component of fitness. We need muscles to not only be strong but lean and fluid. Even if you aren't very flexible, I think you should still keep working on trying to get more flexible.

Here is active.com's flexibility test: Test each leg separately. Lie on a bench (or the floor), knees at your chest (a). Hold one knee with both hands as you extend your other leg, relax your hip, and lower as far as possible while keeping the leg straight (b).

Measure Up: Excellent If your extended leg drops below your hips
Good If your extended leg is parallel to your hips
Below Average If your extended leg is above parallel to your hips

Flex Even Farther: Tight hip flexors? Blame weak glutes. Strengthen them by doing this move three times a week: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Pull your right knee to your chest with both hands, then lift your hips by pushing down into your left heel. Hold for six seconds, then return to start. Do six, then repeat on the other side.

My results: I was honestly surprised that I was a "good" on this one. I am not the most flexible and it isn't because I haven't tried. It has taken a lot of stretching and yoga to even touch my toes!

Why I like this test: I like that this tests your flexibility of your hip flexors, instead of your hamstrings. Many flexibility tests only test the hamstrings, which is an incomplete picture, in my opinion.

Why I don't like this test: This test only tests your hip flexors! I would have liked to see an upper body flexibility test included as well.

Last thought: Pass or fail, we all have our own individual range of motion around our joints. I care more that people stretch on a consistent basis, not that they can pass a test. If you regularly walk out of class during the stretch or skip stretching after your run, I want to tsk, tsk you and ask you to just take five minutes to stretch those muscles next time!

Eva Johnson is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified personal trainer, who is still trying to get used to seeing herself on video. She lives in chaos with her husband and two boys. To see her complete blog about how to stay sane and in shape in the real world, visit www.fitnessbyeva.com.