Movement Vital Signs: Pandemic Edition

In the past few weeks, we've all given up a lot. Of course, what we've given up is a necessary and worthwhile trade for health and safety - for us, for our families, for our communities, for our world.

If we glance around, it's easy to see many people seizing the opportunity of having "normal life" pause to engage in new activities. For some, it's finally learning to speak another language or to play an instrument or to bake bread. This is wonderful. We all need enrichment, sustenance, nourishment; especially in such trying times. 

What about what we already know? Or, what we may take for granted that we know?

During this time of quarantine, many have traded much of their movement practice for fending off boredom or for exercising intellect. This is understandable. We are confined, we are alone and we especially don't want to hurt ourselves right now. 

What we cannot forget is that we are at risk if we are not maintaining our most basic movement skills; and we are at even greater risk if we do not know what we can and cannot do.

Now is not the time to guess that we could get off the floor if we fell, we need to know we could do it. And, to know if we can't. 

There are three movement vital signs to consider in assessing our basic independence: strength, endurance and mobility.

For some of you, these assessment exercises will be a great warm-up for whatever else you want to do. For others, they may be more of a workout. Either way, it's important to know what you are capable of and to keep practicing what you know.

This is not the time to learn through trial and error, when recovery is harder. Instead, this is the time to use wisdom, logic and good thinking to maintain our current capabilities and to prevent setbacks.  

Strength

1 - When in a chair, can you sit upright without leaning your spine or your arms against the chair for support?
If yes, wonderful, please continue to the next question. If no, your practice is to move your spine and arms away from the support and take as many slow, deep, wide breaths as you can before you feel fatigued. Do this every two hours.

2 - When seated in a chair, can you stand up using your arms for support?
If yes, excellent, please continue on. If no, your practice is to do step one (what you can already do) once every two hours and to try step two once per day. 

3 - When seated in a chair, can you stand up without using your arms for support?
If yes, very good, please continue on. If no, your practice is to do step two (what you can already do) once every two hours with slow, deep, wide breaths and to try step three once per day. 

4 - When seated in a chair, can you stand up 10 times without using your arms for support?
If yes, you are strong enough to move your attention to endurance. If no, your practice is to do step three (what you can already do) once every two hours with slow, deep, wide breaths and to try step four once per day until you can do answer yes.

Endurance

1 - From standing, can you walk one meter per second without support from your hands?
If yes, very good, please continue to the next step. If no, your practice is to use a support (a cane, walking stick or walker) to walk one meter per second while breathing slow, deep and wide once every four hours. Try extending the length of time once per day until you can walk this way for six consecutive minutes. Then, go back to question one. 

2 - From standing, can you walk for six minutes at one meter per second without support from your hands?
If yes, you have the endurance necessary to focus your attention on mobility. If no, practice walking one meter per second without support while breathing slow, deep and wide once every four hours. Try extending the length of time you walk once per day until you can walk without support for six minutes at one meter per second.

Mobility

1 - Can you deliver your body to the floor and then stand back up while breathing slow, deep and wide?
If yes, excellent, please move on to the next questions. If no, practice getting on and off the floor once per day until you can.

2 - Can you get on and off the floor while breathing slow, deep and wide in at least two different ways?
If yes, wonderful, your next step is to do this everyday. And to read the Movement Vital Signs series for further challenges. If no, practice alternate ways of getting on and off the floor with deep breathing once per day until you have at least two methods. Then, practice them once per day, everyday.

Some of you will want to skip right to the end of each of these progressions. The point of checking each step is simply to learn which of these things you can do and which you cannot do and to develop a habit of doing some movement every few hours. 

If all of these exercises are easy, then great! All you have to do is maintain your strength, endurance and mobility by focusing on doing what you are already able to do at least once per day. And, every once in a while, have fun trying a new way of getting on and off the floor, or whatever movement you are currently practicing.

Spending more time doing the things you can already do will make it easier to do the things you want to do. You don't have to get better, you simply have to practice - everyday- and to have fun! 

If any of doesn't make sense or are difficult beyond the point of practice, please reach out to us. We are here to help!

by Jessica Dafni, LMT & CYT with contributor, Robin Gray, PT & DPT

Our sources include:
Walking Speed: The Functional Vital Sign and Six Minute Walk Test