How many seconds can you stand on one leg? 7 simple ways to determine your longevity potential.

As the new year begins, many people resolve to exercise. Before committing to a workout plan, there's one thing you need to do first: understand your exact physical condition. The British daily newspaper, the Daily Mail, introduced seven ways to assess your health and longevity potential using basic strength and agility tests developed by doctors around the world.

Sit on the floor and stand up without assistance

 

Sit with your buttocks on the floor and then stand up without touching your hands or knees to the floor.

A 2012 study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that middle-aged (age 50 and older) and older adults (age 75 and older) who got up or sat on their hands and knees were nearly seven times more likely to die within six years than those who didn't.

This test assesses flexibility, balance, and motor coordination, but it's also crucial because it measures the strength of the body's largest muscles, the core and thighs. Muscle strength is closely linked to longevity, as muscle mass declines with age. Muscle not only makes you physically stronger, but also helps regulate vital bodily functions.

Get up from a chair

 

Sit on a straight-backed, armless dining chair, cross your arms, and hold your opposite shoulder with both hands. Keep your feet flat on the floor, your back straight, and your arms across your chest. Measure the time it takes you to stand completely and then sit back down in the chair 10 times.

This test measures the strength of major muscles and is widely used by doctors to assess overall strength and health. A healthy, fit man over 55 years of age should be able to complete the test within 18 seconds, and a healthy, fit woman of the same age within 19 seconds. Men between 35 and 55 years of age should complete the test within 13 seconds, and women within 15 seconds.

 

Check your walking speed

 

Measure the time it takes to walk 6 meters at your normal pace. Divide this time by 6 to find your walking speed in seconds.

A 2011 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who walk faster than average for their age have a longer life expectancy.

If you're over 60, your average walking speed should be around 0.8 meters per second. Walking faster than 1 meter per second can significantly extend your lifespan. A walking speed slower than 0.6 meters per second can increase your risk of premature death, as it may reflect impaired bodily systems.

Brisk walking may be particularly beneficial for heart health. A 2019 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that people who walked faster than average had a 53% lower risk of cardiovascular disease in those over 60 compared to those who walked slowly.

 

Measure the number of push-ups

 

Do a standard push-up by straightening your arms, keeping your legs in line with your back, bending your elbows to lower your chest, and then pushing back up.

 

A 2019 study published in JAMA Network Open found that in middle-aged men, the more consecutive push-ups they performed, the lower their risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Those who performed fewer than 10 push-ups had a higher-than-average risk of heart disease. For every 10 additional push-ups performed, the risk of cardiovascular disease decreased progressively, with those who could perform 40 or more at a time reducing their risk by 97%.

A study from the University of South Wales found that doing push-ups stimulates the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a chemical that may promote the growth of new brain cells and help prevent dementia.

 

Test your grip strength

 

Ask a friend to rate your handshake to see if it's bone-crushing, average, or weak.

Or, try hanging on a pull-up bar for as long as you can to assess your grip strength. A good goal is 60 seconds for men and 30 seconds for women. A 2018 study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that failing to hold for 30 seconds for men and 15 seconds for women could increase the risk of premature death.

A 2016 study from University College London found that people with weak grip strength had a higher than average risk of premature death from all causes. A 2021 study from the University of Manchester also found that healthy middle-aged people with strong grip strength performed better on tests of memory, reasoning, and agility.

 

Measuring the time it takes to climb 60 stairs

 

Measure the time it takes to climb 60 stairs.

A study presented at the 2020 European Society of Cardiology conference found that middle-aged people who climbed 60 stairs in under a minute had a healthier heart and a lower risk of death over the next 10 years. Conversely, those who took more than a minute and a half to climb the stairs had a 30% higher risk of death over the next 10 years.

Balancing on one leg

 

Remove your shoes and socks, place the front of one foot on the back of your opposite lower leg, place your arms at your sides, and look straight ahead. Measure the time you can hold this position. Try this exercise three times, and use the average time as your score.

According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, those who scored lowest, being able to hold out for less than two seconds on average, were three times more likely to die within the next 13 years than those who could hold out for more than 10 seconds.

According to a study from the University of Tsukuba in Japan, people who performed better on this test had stronger hippocampi. The hippocampus is a brain region associated with memory, but it also plays a crucial role in balance.

 

===============

The best one among these is with one leg.

I think it's a balancing act

60 steps, gasp, gasp, I'm already out of breath ~

 

I guess I need to work harder to live longer.