What a difference spring and summer make. The extra daylight transforms people’s mood and movement. It makes it so much easier to get out for a walk, to work in the the garden and there is no doubt that it is an easier time of the year to get motivated.

The power of daylight is so often underestimated and since moving to west Cork I find I have a greater awareness of the passing seasons by observing the farms and land that surround us.

Like nature, this is a season of growth, rejuvenation and time to blossom. For wellness, it can be so challenging sometimes to track that change. How do you know if you are actually improving or changing?

In this week’s column, I want to show you that when it comes to long-term change, knowledge is power and knowing some numbers will help you to stay focused and make those changes last.

Now, take a deep breath. When I mention numbers, people so often get white coat syndrome and think I will be discussing weight. Let’s leave that until last because it is just one of many ways you can track your progress.

There are four simple tests I want you to know about first.

Testing time

The first is balance. Balance is crucial to long-term health. When your balance is poor, you are more likely to fall. When you fall, you will accelerate the ageing process. The more you fall, the less you move and the weaker you get. By testing your balance and improving it, you are making incredible change for your lifelong health.

Test 1: stand with your feet together with arms crossed at shoulder height. Now raise one leg off the ground, ideally until your knee is at 90 degrees. Make sure to try both sides. The longer you can hold, the better it is.

Test 2: the second test is a lower body strength test. Just like your balance, the stronger your lower body is, the better you will live. The test is really simple, sit on a kitchen chair. How many times can you get up and down out of that chair without using your hands in 30 seconds?

Test 3: the third test is your upper body strength test. This is the scary one for so many, as it is done using a press-up. Upper body strength is so important and the test is nothing to fear. You can do the press-up ideally on the floor with your knees bent or if it is too hard try the test on a kitchen counter. How many can you do in 30 seconds?

Test 4: the last test in this sequence is your cardiovascular fitness – your lungs and your heart. For this test, I want you to see how far you can walk or run in 12 minutes. You can track this using a GPS watch or apps like Strava on your phone.

You will notice that I haven’t given you any targets to hit. The reason is that sometimes targets scare people.

Try the tests, see what you get and then repeat the tests once a month, aiming to improve each time or even to keep the same score. It is when you start scoring less that we need to pay attention.

Know your numbers

Now back to weight. Weight is one measure of health. On its own, it doesn’t mean that much really. What that weight is made of is more important, which is called your body composition. How much muscle mass you have and how much fat mass you have is something that everyone should know.

You want to keep your muscle mass because it is so important for healthy ageing and keep your fat mass within a healthyrange, as high body fat is not good.

How can you track this? A smart scales will give you a good idea of your numbers and then you can get it checked with more commercial machines in gyms, dietician clinics, and sometimes, hospitals.

Knowledge is power when it comes to wellness. Know your numbers, check in monthly and compare them and watch what happens to your motivation.

NEXT WEEK: Karl reveals simple

home-based weight training exercises.