This 30-Second Test Can Reveal Your Risk Of Early Death, Longevity Expert Says

Did you know that how long you can stand on one leg has been linked to your body’s ‘biological age’?

Yup – experts think that because the movement involves so much mental and muscular coordination, it may “undergo the fastest decline.”

But speaking to HuffPost UK, former Embarrassing Bodies host Dr Dawn Harper, an author, GP, and health and wellbeing ambassador for Rangeford Villages, says it’s not the only physical test that may reveal an increase in “your risk of falls and premature death.”

The doctor, who has penned the longevity book Live Well To 101, suggests another effective health test is “how many times you can stand up from sitting in thirty seconds.”

It’s exactly what you’d think – you set a timer for 30 seconds and track how many times you can get up from a seated position.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says you should sit in the middle of your seat and keep your hands crossed over your chest with your hands on your shoulders.

Your feet should be flat and your back straight.

“The average for a man aged 60 is 14 times; for a woman of the same age it is 12,” Dr Harper shares.

“If you are significantly below this, your risk of falls and premature death increases.”

Per the CDC, achieving less than the following amount of completed sit-to-stands in 30 seconds puts you at a higher risk of falls:

Speaking to the BBC, consultant geriatrician Jugdeep Dhesi said: “It’s a really helpful test because it tells us so much about how well people are functioning.

“It tells us about their strength, their balance and their flexibility. We know that there’s some studies that suggest that it can help to inform whether people are at risk of things like falls, cardiovascular issues or even at a higher risk of dying.”

Indeed a 2012 study called the sit-to-stand test a “significant predictor of mortality” among 51-to-80-year-olds.

Don’t panic if your initial results aren’t what you expect, though, Dr Harper tells us.

“The good news is that with training, you can improve your score and potentially your future.”