How are YOU Aging? Here's a Test

I’ve got a fun one for you today!

It’s a test that can give you a hint about how well you are aging. If you’ve done this test before, it’s worth doing again to make sure you’re still on track.

It’s called the sit and stand test.

It was designed by Brazilian researchers, and their study shows it can help predict how long you’ll live (or … more precisely … how long you will NOT live).

To do it, all you need is a clear space on the floor. Stand in the middle of the floor, and lower yourself to the floor to a sitting position – without using your hands or any assistance.

Then, without using your hands or any assistance, stand back up!

(TIP: Cross your legs on the way down and then back up to help with balance. It’s not cheating.)

This test can be a strong measure of musculoskeletal fitness – which is strength, flexibility, and coordination, a component that’s often forgotten about as we get older.

Here are the results of the study in Brazil – which I thought were shocking!

The researchers tracked more than 2,000 men and women aged 51 to 80 for 6 years.

No matter their age at the start of the study, those who needed to use both their hands and feet to get up and down were about 7x more likely to die within 6 years than those who didn’t need to use their hands!

WOAH!

So … try it today and see how you’re doing. If getting up and down is harder than you thought it would be …

I have some good news for you: it’s definitely not too late to turn it around!