by Kerry Taylor
This topic has come up in recent conversations at the gym with clients and also at a recent certification I attended, so I figured I would share it to give you some things to think about. LONGEVITY!! The definition of longevity is, how long you live past the average. Furthermore, being able to “live”, be physically, cognitively and socially functioning and aware. Meaning the machine, our bodies, are operating at a good level. Not the most sexy topic of discussion, but I find to be an interesting one. No one really wants to talk about the end of life, and we won’t discuss that really here, but the aspect I do want to discuss is what we are capable of doing. The more or less you are physically capable of doing will tie into your mortality. If you have been into fitness and perusing different magazines or websites you may have come across different metrics or tests that are said to be predictors of where you are as you age. Good standards of being able to still be very active at an older age versus being chair bound, all things considered at an older age.
This can be observed, tested and assessed in a combination of ways. Looking at how you manage your stress, do you have a history of smoking, what’s your level of movement or physical fitness in life, your bone density, your amount of lean muscle, your nutrition, genetics, do you live with or for a purpose, your family history, what’s your nutrition look like, your environment, just to name a few. There is a long list of factors that we can continue to add to this if we wanted.
Looking at the physical side of things, here are some tests that are said to be good predictors of longevity. I am not a doctor, but have done some research and the below information is what I found on the CDC website and other channels regarding health and aging. If you choose to perform any of these, it is by your choice.
Single Leg Balance ( Lower number, greater risk of injury from fall)
The ability to stand on one leg for a certain amount of time. This has progressions to it, starting with standing on 2 feet and progressing all the way up to one leg with eyes closed. Aim for 10 seconds in each position.
2 Feet close together, eyes open and closed
2 Feet slightly staggered but touching, eyes open and closed
1 Foot in front of the other, eyes open and closed
Standing on one leg, eyes open and closed
Timed Get Up and Go (Determine a person’s mobility)
Start seated and walk at your normal pace to a line 10 feet away turn around, come back and sit down.
Goal: Aim to get back to your seat by 12 seconds or less
30 second Sit to Stand (Test Leg Strength and Endurance)
Sitting in a chair 17” high, with arms crossed, stand up and sit back down as many times as possible. Can not use hands.
Goal: Ages 60 - 94
Men 14 Reps - 7 Reps
Women 12 Reps - 4 Reps
Floor Rise Test
You start this one standing. Sit on the floor without using your hands to a legs crossed position and then stand back up without using your hands.
You start with 10 points
Lose a point if: Use your hand, forearm, knee, side of leg, or bracing hand on knee to get up
(5 possible points to lose going down and going up)
Aim to be 4 points or higher.
6 Min Walk Test (Test your exercise capacity)
Being able to walk a distance 350m - 500+ is a good range to fall into, depending on age.
Grip Strength (Predictor of strength levels, but may also be a predictor of cognitive levels)
This one is done with a various pieces of equipment to test where your grip strength levels are.
When it comes to physicality of life and the longevity from this stand point, being physically fit is the way to go at any age, but especially as we get older. If you take a second and look at these, in my opinion, they all tie into your chances of a trip and fall, and your ability to get up off the ground if you do fall. A fall is still the number one cause of fatal and non fatal injuries in adults 65 and up. The act of falling or falling and not being able to get up can and will lead to some very serious results from injury.
Some of you reading this may have done some of these tests already. If you did, how did you do? Not satisfied or happy with the results? You can get better at all of these. Add something in a day to improve in one or all of these drills to help you age better on your health and fitness journey. Until next time, continue to live life 1 degree above the rest.
