First - Recording Some Personal Measurements
You should have a copy of the Personal Wellness Assessment (PDF), which was part of the preparation for this workshop.
Take some time now to fill in anything you've not been able to measure.
At a workshop meeting you would be able to measure your height, your weight and the strength of you hand-grip. There are also tape measures, so you can measure your hip and waist girth.
There are several standardized tests, one might try. The Sitting and Rising Test on the right as an example.
In the workshop we do a six minute walking test.
In a hospital situation this test is supposed to be done on a 50 metre corridor, but we do it outside, usually walking around the block.
At home I suggest you take a good watch, and walk away from home for 3 minutes and then walk back. Then use the car to measure how far you traveled. That should give you a distance right within 20-30 metres. Alternatively, use the GPS tracking ability on your phone and get a measure within 2-3 meters.
In the workshops I've been running, fit people over 65 are walking about 600 metres in that time. Some people of course can't do this at all.
Walking speed is one of the things that's easy to measure and slowing speed is a sign of lost muscle strength and flexibility. (Hint) Try 30 seconds of "very fast walking" every time you go for a walk. You won't break a sweat, it's easy to do, and that's highly protective of your future walking speed.
Would you like to stop now? Use the BACK ARROW to go to the main index. You can come back to this page from there anytime. The beginning of Part Two - A Short Medical History.
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