Start now to maintain your strength as you age

Maintaining strength as we age requires consistent effort and can be challenging to sustain. Motivation may dwindle, leading to inactivity and a downward spiral of declining physical ability.

Imagine you used to walk outside every day, perhaps for 20 minutes. As the weather changes and winter comes, you might stop this routine and only walk as needed for daily activities around the house. This change not only decreases cardiovascular function but also leads to a loss of leg and posture strength. As winter continues, an older person might feel increasingly tired even walking around the house, leading to more breaks during the day – sitting with feet up, postponing tasks, or having groceries delivered by family. Everyday tasks become harder, and this is where things can take a turn for the worse. Reduced time spent upright can negatively affect balance. Without the strength to correct balance issues, a fall can occur. If an injury happens, medical and care costs increase. All of this could have been prevented if the person had maintained their regular exercise routine.

Now is the time to take action to start a routine and stick with it. One way to figure out where you fall in the spectrum of physical strength and mobility is to take a good look at where you are at. Maybe you think you’re doing ok! Physical therapists use testing proven by research to determine if a person is meeting their norms for function as they age. Lets take a look at a few of these simple tests and you can see where your results land.

Five Time Sit to Stand Test

For this test you need a chair without arms at a standard height of 16”. With your arms across your chest, starting in a sitting position you will stand and sit five times as quickly as possible while being timed. This test looks at your lower body strength. A result of equal or greater to 10 seconds has been shown to predict disability within the next two years. The numbers below are the mean norms for each age group. Meaning if you did worse than this, it’s time to work on your strength! Ages 60-69 years 11.4 second, ages 70-79 12.6 seconds, and ages 80-89 14.9 seconds.

One Legged Stance Test

This is an easy test to perform at home for balance. Stand on one leg without holding on with your eyes open. Try on each leg and write down your score of how many seconds you can hold the position. Greater than 20 seconds on one leg is normal. If you are unable to stand on one leg for greater than 5 seconds you are at increased risk of an injury by a fall. If you get less than 20 seconds this indicates you have lower body weakness. The mean normal scores for this test with your eyes open are listed below. You can see how these decline with age and why it’s important to maintain your strength as you age.

2 Minute Step Test

This test can be completed at home to look at your endurance. Reduced endurance can indicate a potential for increased disability. For this test you will need to stand next to a wall so that you are standing sideways to it. Mark a place on the wall with a piece of tape halfway between your knee cap and hip. If you have balance issues you may hold onto a counter, the wall, or an assistive device if you use one. Have someone start a timer. You will step(march) for two minutes bringing your knee up to the height of that tape mark each time. Only steps that reach that mark on the wall count. If you can not get your knee up that high, then don’t count it. Scores listed below are the cut off for predicting physical independence. If your score is lower there is a chance you will need help with mobility in the future. Check to see how you do!

These three tests are one way that you can self check your current physical strength and mobility. Where do you fall? Did taking a break from your work out routine set you back? Or if you haven’t started one yet, do your results indicate that now is a great time to start one?

Would you like to stay strong as you age to prevent injury and decline that may lead to the need to have help at home or moving to a care facility?

AgingWell Physio understands the importance of strength and mobility for older adults. Our professionals will create a personalized workout routine that focuses on flexibility, strength, balance, and mobility, while taking into account your medical and surgical history. Call us today to start your journey towards a stronger and healthier you!

Testing results available at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab at https://www.sralab.org/