Are you ageing well? Try these 4 simple tests to find out
Dana G. Smith
Take a moment to think about the last ten years of your life. What kind of physical shape do you hope to be in? And what activities do you want to be able to continue doing?
While there is no crystal ball to predict your future health, there are a few basic tests you can administer to yourself to measure your current strength, power, cardiovascular fitness and balance; All of these will impact your physical abilities going forward. Such tests have been associated with longevity and independent living. They also stand in for activities that many people want to do in old age, like getting down on the ground to play with their grandchildren or exploring a new city on foot and traveling.
Stuart Phillips, professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario, said it’s never too early to start training for your later years. People naturally lose strength and muscle mass with age, so you want your starting point to be as good as possible. Phillips said getting a head start on training is “money in the bank.”
It’s never too late to improve your physical abilities, either, he added: “We have data showing that pre-teens, people in their 10th decade of life or people in their 90s, can make gains in strength and functionality with even a little light activity.”
Try these four tests to determine where you stand now. Don’t worry if you’re not performing as well as you’d hoped: A few regular strength, conditioning and balance exercises can help improve your score on each.
1. Sit-Stand Test
The goal of this assessment is to move from standing to sitting on the floor and back to standing, using the least amount of support possible. The test is scored on a 10-point scale (five points for sitting and five points for standing), and you lose one point for every hand, knee or other part of your body you use to help yourself. If you lose your balance or lose your balance, subtract half a point.
D., dean of research and education at the Exercise Medicine Clinic in Brazil, who developed the test. Claudio Gil Araújo said adults in their 30s and 40s should aim for a perfect 10. He said anyone over the age of 60 who received an 8 was “doing very well.”
The test evaluates strength, power, balance and flexibility. Araújo also showed that it was a harbinger of death. A recent study looked at more than 4,000 adults ages 46 to 75 and found that people who scored 4 or lower on a sit-to-stand test over 12 years had death rates nearly four times higher than those who scored 10. The main reason for this, he said, is that people with lower scores are at higher risk of falling.
2. Walking speed assessment
How fast a person walks in their normal gait is “a very important indicator of functional ability and vitality,” said Jennifer Brach, a professor of health and rehabilitation sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. “It’s predictive of future decline; it’s predictive of mortality, nursing home placement, disability, and a lot of different things,” he said.
To evaluate your walking speed, measure 4 meters, or about 13 feet, on a flat surface and measure how long it takes you to cover the distance. (Remember, you’re walking at your normal pace, not as fast as you can.) People of all ages should aim for a walk of at least 1.2 meters per second, just over three seconds total.
Brach recommended people retest themselves every few months. “If the value changes, that could be a warning sign,” he said. Because although walking may seem like a simple task, it requires the proper functioning of the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, vestibular (balance), sensory and nervous systems. A slower gait may indicate a problem with any of these systems that needs to be investigated and addressed.
3. Grip strength test
Grip strength is also associated with death. While this connection may seem far-fetched, experts say grip strength testing is a useful indicator of how active a person is in their daily life.
“When you use your hands more, it’s probably because you’re doing more work,” said Cathy Ciolek, MD, chief of geriatrics at the American Physical Therapy Association. “You’re carrying supplies, you’re opening the car door, you’re picking up your grandchild.” All of these things work your hands, he said, and the more you do them, the better your grip strength will be.
Grip strength is also important for maintaining independence in household tasks such as cooking. (Consider removing a heavy plate from the oven.)
A doctor or physical therapist usually evaluates grip strength using a special device called a dynamometer. Dr., a physician at Private Medical concierge medical practice. To test yourself at home, try walking for 60 seconds while holding a heavy weight in each hand (also known as farmer’s carry), says Nima Afshar. Start with lighter weights and work your way up to heavier ones over time. Stop if you feel pain in your hand or body.
There are no age-related norms for farmer carrying like there is for a dynamometer. However, Afshar said a 45-year-old man should aim to carry two 60-pound dumbbells, a 65-year-old should aim to carry two 40-pound dumbbells, and an 85-year-old should aim to carry two 25-pound dumbbells. Target weights for a woman this age are 40 pounds, 25 pounds, and 15 pounds for each hand.
4. One-legged stand
Just as strength naturally declines with age, so does balance. This increases the risk of falls, a major cause of injury and death in older adults.
Testing your balance is as simple as standing on one leg. Adults should aim for at least 10 seconds on at least one side. Afshar suggested doing the test with your eyes closed for an added challenge.
According to a study published by Araújo in 2022, 20% of adults aged 51-75 failed to reach 10 seconds. And these individuals were 84% more likely to die within the next seven years; This was probably because they were less healthy at the beginning of the study.
“You cannot predict the exact mortality rate of an individual with these types of tests,” Afshar said. But if you’re below average in any of these, you probably won’t be that successful in the long run.
However, he added that all of these measures (strength, conditioning, balance) can be improved, and as you improve, the risk of dying will soon decrease.
New York Times
