| Fact
When astronauts come back to earth after extended space missions, they sometimes can't walk or perform other physical activities very well, at first. Because the weightlessness of space makes it possible for astronauts to push and pull objects without effort, their muscles become weak. Back on earth, the same principle applies to the muscles of sedentary older adults: If you don't use them, you lose them. The good news is that, at any age, almost any older adult or astronaut can improve strength through exercise. |
For another, these tests are a good way of letting you know if you really are progressing. Although it's normal for your improvement to slow down at times, your test scores should get better overall (unless you have reached your goal and are maintaining your current level).
If you are not in condition to do these tests right now, keep working on your current exercises and activities until you are. Whether you are testing or actually exercising, your pace should never make you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or nauseated, and you shouldn't feel pain. If you have a chronic medical condition, or are at risk of developing one, follow the guidelines in Chapter 2 before testing yourself.
1. Endurance
See how far you can walk in exactly 6 minutes. Write down how far you walked (in feet, blocks, laps, miles, number of times you walked up and down a long hallway, or whatever is convenient for you). Do this test every month. As your endurance improves, you should find that you can walk farther in 6 minutes.
2. Lower-Body Power
Time yourself as you walk up a flight of stairs (at least 10 steps) as fast as you safely can. Record your score. Repeat the test, using the same stairs, one month later. It should take you less time.
3. Strength
Each time you do your strength exercises, use the chart in the back of this book to record how much weight you lift and how many times you lift that weight. Another chart shows how much more weight you can lift, and how many more times you can lift it, compared to the month before.
