The other morning, I picked up a pair of 12-pound hand weights and completed three sets of four exercises. It was a short routine I made up myself.

One day does not establish a habit. But it does establish a beginning.

I am preparing for a trial next week and thinking about a sermon I will deliver on November 1. There are plenty of things competing for my attention. Still, the weights have been available for quite some time (years!). My schedule does not explain their lack of use.

I have written about exercise, physical stewardship, and aging gratefully. I believe what I write. But I was feeling unhappy with myself for seemingly preaching one thing and doing another—or, in this case, not doing it.

Then something I read in a health app gave me a nudge.

An Encouraging Report Card. Mostly.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been wearing both a Garmin watch and a Hume Band. I also have the scales that work with each system. Both are gathering information about my activity, sleep, heart rate, weight, and estimated body composition. Here’s a quick shout of thanks to Curtis Kimball for suggesting that I consider the Hume products!

As an analyst, I find this interesting. Whether wearing two devices makes me twice as informed remains to be seen.

Garmin reports my Fitness Age as 68. At 78, I am pleased to read that. It also suggests increasing my vigorous activity minutes and the number of days on which I accumulate them, while reducing body fat. My resting heart rate is 58 beats per minute, which Garmin recommends maintaining.

Hume provides considerably more commentary. Its reported Metabolic Age is 61, which the app describes as signaling “strong physiological resilience.”

I rather liked that part.

My overall Hume Health Score is 767 out of 900. Cardiovascular health and sleep are particular strengths. Then I get to body composition.

C+.

Apparently, a favorable age estimate does not excuse me from the rest of the coursework.

One finding that caught my attention was Hume’s assessment that my muscle distribution favored my upper body relative to my lower body. The app suggested prioritizing lower-body resistance training.

Hume also estimates that my left side carries slightly more lean tissue than my right. That gives me another question to explore as more readings become available.

I have been working off and on to improve my balance. It is easier to talk about than to do. Now the app was giving me another reason to pay attention to strength, particularly in my legs.

What the Numbers Can Tell Us

There is a temptation to accept the flattering numbers immediately and scrutinize (or ignore) the others. I suspect I am not alone in that.

These systems provide estimates. Fitness Age, Metabolic Age, and Biological Age are different measures, and they should not be treated as interchangeable. Garmin’s Fitness Age, for example, incorporates factors including activity intensity, resting heart rate, and body fat percentage or body mass index. It is a useful perspective on fitness, rather than a revised birth certificate. [1]

There are also differences between the systems’ body-fat estimates that I need to understand better. Both scales reported 198 pounds that morning. Their agreement about my weight does not mean their estimates of everything inside those pounds agree. That is considerably better than the 212 pounds I weighed when I started my disciplined walking program almost seven years ago. Still, I would like to reduce my waistline while building strength.

Hume repeatedly notes that it does not yet have sufficient information to establish trends. That seems worth remembering after only a couple of weeks.

For now, I am treating its commentary as information to consider and questions to explore. The lower-body assessment has not established a medical diagnosis. It has, however, focused my attention on something I already knew deserved work.

That has value.

Walking Is Part of the Answer

For years, I have averaged more than five miles of walking per day. I also play pickleball regularly. Those habits are important to me, and I intend to continue them.

But I have done almost no structured resistance training.

The National Institute on Aging identifies aerobic activity, muscle strengthening, and balance as complementary forms of exercise for older adults. Its discussion of strength training makes an encouraging point: older adults can increase strength, helping preserve mobility and independence. [2, 3] It seems I have been doing well in one out of the three areas of exercise!

Look at the link to NIA below.  There is considerable information about exercises focused on areas of concern.

Balance also deserves deliberate practice. A major Cochrane review found that programs emphasizing balance and functional exercises reduced the rate of falls by about 24% among older adults living in the community. These are exercises directed toward steadiness and the movements needed in everyday life. [4]

That gets my attention. I want to continue traveling with Carol, walking, playing pickleball, and doing ordinary things for myself. Strength and balance matter to the life I want to keep living.

My walking habit is well established. I now need to give strength and balance a more consistent place in the week.  And, I need to add a bit more intensity to my walking, which I will do.

There is also some unfinished business around my waist. I would like to lose perhaps 10 to 15 pounds. But the objective should include maintaining or building strength as the waistline gets smaller. A lower number on the scale will be more satisfying if I can still carry a suitcase.

From Information to Action

Hume has provided me with information and motivation. Its commentary made a general intention more specific. I could see something to work on.

That first short workout concentrated on my upper body. Fine as a beginning, but I need to include lower-body resistance work and become more consistent with balance practice. I also need to learn enough to do these things properly.

None of this requires an enormous amount of time. It does require giving it a place in my schedule and following through.

I am sharing the beginning because that is where I am. I have completed one workout, and the next one is still waiting for me to do it. And perhaps, I am sharing it as an extra bit of incentive for me to follow through.

At 78, I am still learning. I am grateful for that, and for the ability to put what I learn to use.

The devices have given me plenty to read. Now I need to give them something new to measure.

As always, be well, and age gratefully,

Chris

PS If you like this blog, share it with your friends and social media.  They will probably like it, too.

References

1. Garmin. What Is Your Garmin Fitness Age? How Can You Lower It?
2. National Institute on Aging. Three Types of Exercise Can Improve Your Health and Physical Ability.
3. National Institute on Aging. How Can Strength Training Build Healthier Bodies as We Age?
4. Sherrington C, et al. Exercise for Preventing Falls in Older People Living in the Community. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2019;1:CD012424.

Personal device readings and app commentary are from the author’s Garmin and Hume apps in October 2026. They are personal observations rather than independent research findings.