Ep. 76 - The Mobility Factor: Why How You Move May Be One of the Most Important Vital Signs of Healthy Aging

We spend a lot of time tracking blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, but there are a few remarkably simple measurements most patients have never had checked: how fast they walk, whether they can balance on one leg, and whether they can get themselves up off the floor. In this episode, host Dr. Caitlin Prickett is joined by Dr. David Zweiback of Concierge Medicine of West Palm Beach to make the case that physical function deserves a place alongside bloodwork as a true vital sign.They walk through the research behind gait speed as a predictor of survival in older adults, why a 10-second single-leg balance test has been linked to long-term outcomes, and what the ability to sit and rise from the floor reveals about strength, balance, and independence. The conversation also covers the growing gap between lifespan and healthspan (roughly 12 years for the average American), the case for cardiorespiratory fitness as one of the most powerful markers of long-term health, and why building strength and balance matters well before someone needs it.Dr. Prickett and Dr. Zweiback try three simple self-tests live on the show and talk through what a person can actually do if they don't perform as well as they'd like.Educational content only. Population-level associations discussed in this episode should not be used to predict an individual listener's mortality or to diagnose disease, and nothing in this episode constitutes medical advice for any individual listener.

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