Despite so many health blogs, fitness experts, friends and family telling us the importance of physical activity, how many of us actually follow a routine for a fit and healthy lifestyle? Let’s just admit that our day begins with us struggling to get out of bed and then somehow managing to crawl to college or office. If you can relate to this, then this post could very well be a wake-up call.
Because there’s one simple test that can determine the fitness level of your body and how long you’re going to live!
Intrigued? Read on to find out more:
This test, devised by Brazilian physician, Claudio Gil Araujo, and his colleagues measures the flexibility and strength of your body, on the basis of which it predicts who has a higher life expectancy and who might not. It’s called the sitting-rising test or SRT.
All you have to do is stand on a flat surface with your legs apart and try sitting cross-legged without any support. Then, stand up without resting your hands anywhere. You cannot lean on your knees or use the floor as support.
Araujo conducted a study with more than 2000 people, between the ages of 51 and 80. He found that those who scored below 8 points, were at a higher risk of dying within the next 6 years, as compared to those who scored more. Each point scored in the SRT comes with a 21 percent increase in life expectancy from all causes.
The test is scored on a scale of 1 to 10, equally divided among its two important movements- lowering yourself to the floor and standing back up. A person loses one point every time he/she uses a hand or knee for support and 0.5 points are deducted when the person loses balance.
So, what’s your score?
Feature Image Source: bollyone.com