Take control of your wellbeing with these simple tests to track your vital stats
PHOTOS: GETTY. *JAMA. **HEART UK. ***BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE. IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH, SEE YOUR GP
How healthy do you think you are? Almost three-quarters of over-40s want to feel better, and more than half are motivated by wanting to live a longer life. However, even with the best intentions, some potentially dangerous health problems are difficult to spot.
‘As we get older, we become more vulnerable to certain conditions but simple measures, such as waist circumference, can indicate if you’re at an increased risk,’ says Claire Nevinson, superintendent pharmacist at Boots. Keeping basic targets in mind could be the incentive you need to make better lifestyle choices, and improve your wellbeing. Here’s how to give yourself a quick health check from home.
LIFT YOUR LEGS…TO TEST ARTERY HEALTH
This can show if the arteries that supply your leg muscles are furred up, which can then cause high blood pressure and diabetes.
TEST IT Lie on your back on a bed and elevate both (bare) legs to a 45-degree angle. Hold them there for one minute, then quickly hang them down over the side of the bed at 90 degrees. If one or both of your feet or legs becomes very pale when elevated but takes more than three minutes to return to normal, or turns bright red when hanging, see your doctor.
WALK A MILE…TO TEST YOUR FITNESS
The fitter you are, the faster you’ll be able to walk – and studies found that walking speed correlates with how long people live.*
TEST IT
For an accurate reading, walk at an average speed for you. It’s normal to become slower as you age, but if a mile is regularly taking you more than 22 minutes and you’re otherwise healthy and mobile, try adding some faster intervals to your usual wander around the block to improve your pace.
MONITOR MORNING STIFFNESS…TO CHECK JOINT HEALTH
‘If this lasts for longer than an hour after you get up, and continues for more than a few days, contact your GP as you may have a more serious inflammatory joint condition,’ says physiotherapist Sammy Margo, adviser to both Deep Heat and Deep Freeze.
TEST IT Go about your business as usual, but consider what you did the day before, as there may be an innocent explanation. ‘Morning stiffness could easily be explained by physical activity the day before, such as gardening, running or perhaps a long walk,’ says Sammy. ‘It could be caused by injury or unaccusto
