, full-time administrative assistant

Sally Age 65, full-time administrative assistant

Testing Results

Height 5’ 8”, Weight 218 lbs. (BMI=33.1)

Fitness Test Results:

Rockport Walk Test (1 mile): 21.30 min

Chair Stand (9 reps): below average

Chair sit and reach (1 inch): average

Arm curl (13): average

Barriers to activity: Sally works full time as an administrative assistant at a local college. She spends the majority of her day sitting at a desk, answering phones, greeting students and doing tasks for the professors in her department. Her husband is disabled and cannot work. To make ends meet, she works part time (15-20 hours per week) working at a local chain retail store. She often works late shifts and weekends and spends most of the shift on her feet. She and her husband are also the primary caregivers of their 9 year old grandson as his mother is in the Army and is overseas. Between her two jobs and grandson, when she has “free time” all she wants to do is relax with her knitting projects or attend church functions.

Current lifestyle and activity habits: Sally is sedentary much of the day except when she works her retail job which involves stocking shelves or working the cash register. Sally has never consistently exercised. When she was growing-up, sports were seen as masculine pursuits except for cheerleading and dance, which never interested her because she was so much taller than the other girls. She does not like to get sweaty or out of breath. She doesn’t understand how people can enjoy these things! Why get all out of breath when sitting and relaxing is so much better? She has tried exercise programs in the past, but has quit after a few weeks because they were not enjoyable and took so much time out of her day. She does not look forward to beginning a new program but she knows “she’ll hate it.” 

Goals: Her doctor has advised her for years to lose weight. She gains 2-5 lbs. every year, including the most recent visit. She has type II diabetes and her blood sugar levels are not well controlled. Her doctor informed her that if she does not take immediate steps to lose weight and improve her diet and exercise, she will need to begin insulin therapy to control her sugar. Sally is trying to avoid that fate – she is scared of needles and the expense associated with testing and daily injections would be a financial burden to her family. In addition, her last blood pressure reading was 130/85. While not hypertensive, the doctor warned her he would put her on blood pressure medication at her next visit if her numbers remain elevated due to her additional risk of diabetes.

Medications: Metformin for diabetes

Risks: Type 2 diabetes puts Sally at higher risk for CVD and associated conditions. She is also at risk due to her age and obesity.