CAN YOU PASS THE ‘SIT-RISE’ TEST?
This simple test was devised by researches in Brazil who conducted a study of men and women aged 51-80, and found the ability to sit down and get back up again without using anything, including a hand or knee to support yourself, is an indicator of longevity. Want to try it?
Wearing comfortable clothes and with bare feet, stand with your feet crossed. Now lower yourself to a seated position on the ground. You’ve earned five points. Then slowly come back up to a standing position. Again, give yourself five points. However whether you’re sitting down or coming back up, you lose a point for every hand, arm or knee you need for support and half a point whenever you lose your balance. Your results are scored on a scale of one to ten, and in the Brazilian study, those who scored three or fewer points were more than five times as likely to die within the next six years compared with those who scored more than eight points. The test is a measure of muscular and skeletal strength but of course cardio-respiratory fitness is also strongly related to survival.
Poor score? Well introducing more flexibility and strength building activities into your daily exercise regime is bound to help!
