Get a grip on your health!

As we go through this lockdown its easy to let our health and fitness slide. Gyms are closed, routines shattered and how we measured things in the past is gone. People will ask me how can they tell if they’re healthy. It may seem obvious but is increasingly a concern with many. How can we know? Is there a measure of our health? Is it our blood pressure? Perhaps our cholesterol levels?

No!

As it turns out, the best health marker is not some lab test and it doesn’t require a scale. The best measure of our health is our fitness level. There are a number of tests that I’ve run with people but if you want to do a quick assessment here are two simple tests:

1) Pushup to Health

A few fitness tests have been shown to predict a longer life. One of them is the number of pushups you can do. This can be either the standard or the easier knee pushups. This was discovered when Swedish firefighters were tracked over many years. Those who could do the most pushups live the longest. It turned out to be a better predictor than any lab test

2) Walking Speed

Another great predictor of health is your walking speed. Faster natural walking speed among seniors was linked to longer life. If you can walk fast, your heart and lungs are probably in good shape. Our heart and lungs need exercise to stay healthy. They also don’t work if we’re sitting on the couch!

So how do I apply this?

Pushups and walking are linked to longer life mainly because they are visible markers of heart health. Both are exercises that engage your whole body as well as your heart and lungs. So, go out for a walk and then try to increase your walking speed. Remember also to maintain good posture and breath through your belly. As for pushups, if you can’t do regular ones you can start with modified pushups. You can try bent-knee pushups where you rest on your knees instead of your toes. Or, you can do wall pushups. Stand a few feet away from the wall and do a vertical pushup against the wall.

What’s the bottom line? Being active is critical to good health even in times like this. Here are some starting points. If you’d like something with more challenge or greater variety regardless of your situation talk to me and I’ll set you up with a plan that will be fun (I promise!) and will not only help you to greater health but get you through Covid.