Have you often wondered why some people age without losing their ease of movement till a ripe old age while many lose this power way earlier in life – and many who run marathons still die relatively earlier? The answer is in the body’s ability to continue to use joints without falling and with smooth as grease ease.

According to a report in USA Today, a doctor in Brazil invented the Sitting Rising Test or SRT, and he’s proven it can predict your risk of dying in the next five years. Dr Claudio Gil Araujo, MD, PhD, a specialist in exercise and sports medicine, also works with cardiac patients at Clínica de Medicina do Exercício – Clinimex, in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, and invented SRT to easily measure non-aerobic physical fitness.

“You could predict your longevity quickly, easily and without even leaving your home? Scientific studies over the past 15 years have proven if you have trouble getting down and getting back off the floor, it’s nothing to laugh at,” says the report in USA Today.

Doctors these days often ask people to take the Sitting-Rising test. The reason is that sitting and rising from the floor is a basic functional task that requires appropriate levels of muscle strength, joint coordination, balance and flexibility. The best test of how fit you are lies in how well you can stand from a seated position, writes Dr Matthew Solan, the Executive Editor of Harvard Men’s Health Watch.

To make it simple to understand how to do the sitting down and standing up test, we show you a video here. The goal is to get down and back up from a sitting position with minimal support. The video, however, does not belong to Times Now and therefore this site is not responsible for the material disseminated in it. However, before you start, the Harvard doctor’s words of caution are important too. “Keep in mind that this test is not for everyone. For instance, someone with a sore knee, arthritis, poor balance, or another kind of limitation would have difficulty doing the test with little or no assistance,” writes Dr Solan.

Step-by-step instructions of SRT:

Sit on the floor with your legs crossed or straight out. Try doing it without leaning on anything or touching your hands, elbows, knees, thighs anywhere.

Now stand up again.

Caution: This may not be an easy movement for many people, and those not capable of doing it by themselves may fall down and get injured.

Therefore, for safety, do this with someone next to you.

Check your scores:

How did you do? Did you need to use your hands or knees? Could you not get up at all?

Now is the time to take the test again. This time, though, grade your effort.

Beginning with a score of 10, minus one point if you do any of the following for support when you both sit and stand:

1. use your hand
2. use your knee
3. use your forearm
4. use one hand on the knee or thigh
5. use the side of your leg
6. lose your balance at any time.

For example, if you sat with no problem, but had to use either a hand or a knee to get up, take off one point. If you had to use both your hands and knees, deduct four points (two points each).

If you can sit and stand with no assistance, you scored a perfect 10. If you could not get up at all, your score is zero. Ideally, you want a score of eight or higher.

If you could cross your feet, and go into a seated position without any support or loss of balance, that’s five points. Coming back up is another 5. But you can lose points really fast. Score three or less and your risk of dying is five times greater over the next five years.

Do not let the score dishearten you. None of us is born gymnasts and athletes. With the help of our doctor or certified fitness trainer/physiotherapist, we can improve our scores. Sometimes, there is a joint or a muscle or a tendon that needs attention. To help you keep your confidence and seek the correct path, Dr Solan shares his personal score. He says, “For the record, the first time I tried, I got a seven.”

What the no-hands test tells us about fitness

“The sit-and-rise movement — sometimes also referred to as the no-hands test — can reveal much about your current strength, flexibility, and overall wellness,” says Eric L’Italien, a physical therapist with Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Center.

Performing the sit-and-rise test requires leg and core strength, balance and coordination, and flexibility. But if you struggle, that does not necessarily mean you are out of shape.

“Think of it as a way to highlight areas of your physical health you should address,” says L’Italien. Even if you currently do reasonably well on the test, practising it regularly can find weak spots before they become worse.

Three exercises that can improve your performance:

If you need to improve your performance, here are three exercises L’Italien recommends that can help improve your score — and ultimately your fitness. He recommends adding them to your regular workout routine. If you are just starting out, perform them twice a week and build from there. But again, a word of caution again, here. These exercises are not for all. If you have had a recent illness like stroke and are recovering from this or a similar illness, or have any joint-mobility issues, you must speak to your doctor before taking up these strengthening exercises.

Lunges. Teaches “balance” function to leg muscles

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold the abdomen tight and your back in an upright position.
3. Step forward with one leg until your knee is aligned over the front of your foot.
4. The knee of the leg behind must drop toward the floor.
5. Hold for a few seconds and return both legs to the starting position.
6. Repeat with the other leg.
7. Your goal: 2-3 sets of the above exercise. 5-10 repetitions with each leg make one set.

Hamstrings stretch. You lose mobility as you grow old because the hamstrings muscles tighten

1. Lie on your back and place a strap, belt, or towel around one foot.
2. Holding the strap, gently pull the leg back until you feel a stretch in the back of the leg.
3. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and then release. Switch to the other leg and repeat.

Plank. Reflects how strong your core is. Strengthens it over time.

1. Lie face down with your forearms resting on the floor.
2. Raise up your body, so it forms a straight line from your head and neck to your feet.
3. Tighten your abs and try to hold this position for 10 seconds.
4. Rest and then repeat. Do two to three planks in total. Work up to holding each plank for 30 seconds or longer.