Exercises for Better Balance by William Smith

Author:William Smith [Smith, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-57826-576-3
Publisher: Hatherleigh Press
Published: 2018-02-19T16:00:00+00:00

Important Assessments

Medical Tests

Medical tests, including blood panels, neurological/reflexive tests, updated family history, stress test, etc., are tests that your medical provider can provide based upon their clinical assessment of your health and risk profile. Maintain an open dialogue with your medical practitioner, particularly if you or your family has a history of heart problems.

Fitness Tests (Functional and Physical Assessments)

Functional Assessment: The Functional Assessment will provide you with a direct measurement of how you can improve in your daily activities. This includes walking stairs, getting in and out of chairs, etc. Refer to Chapter 5 for the Functional Assessment.

Physical Assessment: The Physical Assessment will provide you with a direct measurement of the improvements you can make in gaining strength as a result of following the exercises in this book. Refer to Chapter 5 for the Physical Assessment.

Waist Size: To determine your waist-to-height ratio, simply divide your waist size by your height (in inches). A waist-to-height ratio under 50 percent is generally considered healthy.

Stamina: The average person should be able to walk up a flight of stairs or walk once around an outdoor track without becoming out of breath.

12-Minute Walking Test: Find a measured distance (such as a track) and see how much distance you can cover in 12 minutes. (You can complete this on a treadmill, too.) Make sure you challenge yourself, while still being able to carry on intermittent conversation with a partner (see the Talk Test).

Refer to the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. You should aim to work at around 5–6 during the first two or three repetitions of this test. Thereafter, challenge yourself to reach a 7–8 on the RPE scale. This test is also known as the Cooper Test.

Quarter-Mile Timed Test: Find a measured 400-meter or quarter-mile track. See how long it takes you to cover the specified distance. Aim to work at a 6–7 on the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale.

Strength: As you perform Strength Circuits, make note of any improvements you have made. For instance, are you able to perform more reps? Have you continued on from beginner to intermediate exercises?

Flexibility: Because levels of flexibility can differ greatly from one individual to the next, it is impossible to provide an average measurement of flexibility. Instead, you should aim to determine what improvements you are seeing in your Physical Assessment from week to week. This will help you gauge whether you are improving your flexibility (based on your body’s abilities).

Re-Assessment: Perform the Functional and Physical Assessments again and compare your new results with your original results to determine how much you have improved in your overall strength and function.

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