Is it hard for you to perform this exercise? A test that predicts death…

The simple exercise of sitting and getting up without help, may suggest how long you will live. This is the belief of the group of doctors who use the “sit-stand” test to measure the flexibility and power of their patients.

They developed a scoring system for the test and found that people who won three points or less than 10, had five times more likely to die within six years than those who made more than eight points.

Claudio Gil Araujo, from Gama Filho University in Rio de Janeiro, was among a group of doctors who developed the test (SRT) for fast-assess the flexibility of an athlete, and now use it to convince patients that they must be active to maintain their muscles and balance, and to live longer.

As we age, our muscles weaken, and because of the loss of equilibrium the greater the chance that we will fall is.

The ways in which weakness is currently being tested in a small doctor’s office can be a lengthy, cumbersome and inaccurate, and dr. Araujo says that anyone can do the SRT test.

In a study published in the European Journal of Cardiology, researchers found that 2,002 adults aged between 51 and 80 years undergo SRT test at a clinic in Rio. It was found that patients who have won less than eight points out of 10, had twice as likely to die over the next six years, unlike patients who have achieved better results.

One point seized each time when a person used a hand or knee to sit or stand up, while with half a point punished loss of balance.

There is also the confirmation that the people who have won three points or less were five times more likely to die in the same period.

In the study, wrote: “The ability of muscles, according to SRT test was significant Predictor of mortality in people aged 51-80 years.”

The study found that each additional point on the test was associated with a reduction in mortality of 21 percent.

However, physiotherapist Sammy Margo said that this exercise can be “very ambitious” for the elderly in the UK. Probably because of cultural differences, because the British are not accustomed to sitting on the floor, as it is in some other cultures. In this way, this test may not be accurate in predicting life expectancy.

She said that there is a danger that people with early signs of arthritis in the knee may feel stress when trying to exercise, which she described as “very hard work”.

Physiotherapists in the UK prefer the second test which looks at how many times patients can get up from a sitting position from a chair in 30 seconds. According to Margo, this test is more appropriate, because it is simpler, faster, and gives a good indication.

The test examines the strength of the legs and stamina – which is necessary to move without falling – not the flexibility and agility as SRT test.

For healthy people between the ages of 60 and 64 years is expected to stall and sat more than 12 times (for women) and 14 times (for men) in 30 seconds. A good result for people aged 90-94 years is more than seven repetitions (men) and four (for women).