Due to the sedentary and inactive lifestyle led by most office workers nowadays, together with the damage from air pollution, hygiene issues, viruses and more, their lung health is at risk and vulnerable to illness. You should watch out if you gasp for air and get tired easily when walking or climbing stairs. Here is a 1-minute lung function test that can initially evaluate your health condition right at home. If you get unsatisfactory results, seek medical attention and exercise more!

1-minute stair climb test:

Taiwan Society of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine recommends a 1-minute stair climb test to assess lung function and the risk of obstructive pulmonary disease based on the standard rate of climbing around 1 step each second.

50 to 80 steps or more: If you can climb over 50 steps in 1 minute, you have satisfactory lung function and belong to the low-risk group for obstructive pulmonary disease.

30 to 50 steps: If you can climb 30 to 50 steps in 1 minute, you belong to the intermediate-risk group. Be aware if you smoke, or have symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing and phlegm, and pay more attention to your lung function.

0 to 30 steps: If you can only climb 0 to 30 steps in 1 minute, you belong to the high-risk group and should seek prompt medical attention for your poor lung function.

6-minute Walk Test:

The 6-minute Walk Test (6MWT) developed by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) measures the maximum distance one can walk in 6 minutes to evaluate cardiovascular exercise capacity.

You may run the test in a 30m-long corridor or an indoor area at home (at least 15m long). Walk at a comfortable but slightly fast pace back and forth between the designated spots. Use a pulse oximeter and a pedometer to measure the blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) level and the distance walked (in meters).

For healthy people, the range of SpO2 is around 95% to 100%, while the distance range varies with age, height, weight and gender, but should be within 400 to 700 meters. The participant should feel comfortable and not exhausted, otherwise, it may indicate a problem in cardiovascular function.

Improving muscle strength and breathing efficiency are ways to increase lung capacity, such as by training the chest wall muscles and diaphragm and practising diaphragmatic breathing. You can also train your upper arms and do more deep breathing exercises and chest exercises. Persistent training can effectively maintain respiratory function and boost chest wall elasticity.