Final answer:
Periodic fitness self-testing is beneficial for evaluating the effectiveness of a fitness program, tracking progress, and updating goals, making it a comprehensive tool for improving personal fitness.
Step-by-step explanation:
Periodic fitness self-testing is a multi-faceted tool that serves several important functions in the realm of personal fitness. It is indeed an effective way to determine the effectiveness of your personal fitness program, monitor your progress, and re-evaluate and update your previously set goals. When establishing criteria to measure progress, you need to ask 'How will I know when it is accomplished?', making the goals measurable and motivational. Additionally, fitness self-testing aligns with the findings of a 2003 study by Arthur, Bennett, Edens, and Bell, which highlighted that various forms of training are effective based on the measurement of learning outcomes and subsequent behavior changes.