The truth about grip strength and a healthy life
Q: My doctor had me do a grip strength test with this weird contraption. When I asked him how I did, he said I have nothing to worry about; I’m on the road to a long, healthy life. How could he tell from that simple test? Joseph Y., Kansas City, Mo.
A: You probably had a test with a medical device called a hand dynamometer. And yes, a good grip strength is associated with a longer life. We don’t know your number, Joseph, but a seven-year study in BMJ found that a grip strength of more than 57 pounds for men and more than 35 pounds for women was associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease, respiratory disease and cancer compared to grip strengths that were below those numbers.
A few years back, Dr. Mike’s Nutty Rice Bucket Challenge was created to help folks gauge their grip strength and improve it, so they could have a younger RealAge.
• You can try Dr. Mike’s challenge: Take a 5-gallon bucket and place a few small bags of walnuts on the bottom, and then fill it with 30 pounds of rice for men, 25 pounds for women. Reach down through the rice and try to retrieve one package of walnuts in 15 seconds. Practice, practice!
• Or you can squeeze a tennis ball: Hold it in one hand and slowly squeeze as hard as you can for three to five seconds. Relax slowly. Repeat 10-15 times. Do this in the other hand. Repeat.
• Another technique: Hold each end of a soaking wet towel so it’s horizontal in front of you. Move your hands in opposite directions, wringing out all the water. Repeat moving your hands in opposite directions from the first time.
If you have troublesome hand pain, consult a hand specialist before trying these exercises, and check out the Cleveland Clinic’s free downloadable hand and wrist pain guide at https://pages.clevelandclinic.org/hand-wrist-index.html.