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I’ve become completely obsessed with this longevity test.
Can you get off the floor from a seated position without using your hands, arms or knees to help you?
Try it! It’s not as simple as it sounds.
I somehow stumbled upon a longevity study [2] that was done a few years back and now I’m hooked.
In the study over 2,000 men and women ranging in age from 51-80 were told: “Without worrying about the speed of movement, try to sit and then to rise from the floor, using the minimum support that you believe is needed.”
Here’s a video showing how the subjects were scored in the longevity study and how you can test yourself and others:
The study found that middle-aged and elderly adults [3]who needed to use their hands and their knees to get up and down were almost seven times more likely to die within six years, compared with those who could get up and down without support.
I’m not old enough to participate in this study, yet I still feel compelled to make sure I can do this not-so-simple task.
The investigators in the longevity study said [2] that a high score in the sitting-rising test might “reflect the capacity to successfully perform a wide range of activities of daily living, such as bending over to pick up a newspaper or a pair of glasses from under a table”.
I’ve been working out for years [4], but this study shows that longevity is based on more than just physical fitness [2].
“It is well known that aerobic fitness is strongly related to survival, but our study also shows that maintaining high levels of body flexibility, muscle strength, power-to-body weight ratio and co-ordination are not only good for performing daily activities but have a favorable influence on life expectancy.”
So now do you see why I’m obsessed?
I’m so fixated that I just got out of my chair to make sure I can still do this!
Bringing longevity back to reality
Placing my obsession aside, I know that one simple test isn’t a tried and true indicator of longevity. I think what’s so fascinating is our ability to have some control over this small measure of how long we live. It’s not new news that what we place in and on our bodies along with functional fitness can all help gauge our long-term health.
So it’s time to get on the floor and let me know if you can do this. Hopefully you won’t become as obsessed as I am!
photo credit: @superamit [5] via photopin [6] cc [7]