Jerry Moynihan, 72, considers himself in good health, since he has exercised his entire life. But the Whiting resident wanted to know how he stacked up health-wise in comparison to his peers. So he stopped in at the recent Functional Fitness Testing Day for senior citizens at Purdue University Northwest’s Calumet campus in Hammond.
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“I want to keep track of my numbers and see where they stand with the national averages,” he said as he prepared to visit each of the six stations set up in the PNW gym.
The free testing is offered to residents 60 years and older each year at PNW. The public, as well as members of the PNW Fitness Center, were invited to participate.
The goal of the event was to measure ability to perform normal activities of daily living. Individuals were analyzed in six areas that looked at lower and upper body strength, lower and upper body flexibility, agility and cardiovascular fitness.
“It’s important to understand that our body changes as we age,” said Fitness Center director John Bobalik. ” You can’t stop the aging process, but you can slow it down.”
Helen Hughes of Highland heard about the testing last week while visiting the Fitness Center, which she does on a regular basis as a member.
‘Exercise is a big part of my life, I try to stay active,” she said after her weigh-in. “It will be interesting to see how I shape up with these tests.”
Hammond resident Mary LeVan agreed, noting she had never looked at her current stats versus those of the average norms.
“We do need to know how we compare,” she added. “Even if we feel we’re doing what we should, we may need room for improvement.”
Larry Furman of Griffith experienced triple bypass surgery a few years ago, and feels it’s imperative to not only keep up an exercise routine, but to keep tabs on his progress.
“It important to know that I’m doing the right things,” he said, as he sat down at the 30-second chair/stand test site.
PNW Fitness Center employees Josh Morales and Martin Lopez, as well as PNW student Lauren Dermody, assisted at the stations.
The sixth and final test was held on the gym’s upstairs running/walking track.
“We are looking at the total laps each participant completes within a certain amount of time,” Bobalik said. “The age of the participant also is taken into consideration.”
Once all stops were completed, numbers were tallied and given to Gayle O’Connor, PNW Wellness Center coordinator.
“We evaluate the results according to the national norms for each person’s age,” she said. “If the test scores are low or below average, we can give suggestions on how to improve in certain areas.”
Also scheduled as part of Functional Fitness Testing Day was the opportunity for individuals to participate in a Silver Sneakers demonstration class after their testing.
The class was designed to help increase muscular strength and range of motion. Additionally, a brain health activities class was involved.
The Purdue Northwest Calumet Fitness Center is a comprehensive exercise and workout facility available to community residents, students, faculty and staff.
Supervised by a staff of exercise physiologists and specialists. The Fitness Center also serves as a laboratory facility for Purdue Northwest fitness management students.
Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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