If You Can't Do This Simple Movement, Your Body Is Already Declining

There's one movement that predicts more about your future health than almost any other.

It doesn't require equipment. It doesn't require a gym. It takes about 10 seconds to test.

And if you can't do it, your body is already declining - whether you feel it or not.

The Movement: Sit Down and Stand Up Without Using Your Hands

Find an open space on the floor. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Now sit down on the floor - without using your hands, knees, or forearms to lower yourself.

Then stand back up - without using your hands, knees, or forearms to push yourself up.

If you can do both without any support, you pass.

If you need to use a hand, knee, or forearm at any point, you don't.

Try it right now. I'll wait.

Why This Movement Matters

A study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology tracked over 2,000 adults aged 51–80. Researchers had them perform this exact test - called the "sitting-rising test" - and then followed them for an average of 6.3 years.

The results were startling.

People who scored poorly on this simple test - who needed significant support to sit and rise - were 5–6 times more likely to die during the follow-up period than those who could do it easily.

Each point lost on the test (needing a hand here, a knee there) was associated with a 21% increase in mortality risk.

This simple movement predicted death better than many standard medical tests.

What This Movement Actually Tests

The sitting-rising test isn't magic. It's a proxy for multiple things your body needs to stay healthy:

Leg strength. Lowering yourself to the floor and standing back up requires significant lower body strength. If your legs are weak, you'll need your hands.

Balance. Sitting and rising without support requires stability and coordination. Poor balance forces you to catch yourself.

Flexibility. Getting down and up from the floor requires adequate hip, knee, and ankle mobility. Stiffness makes the movement harder.

Core stability. Controlling the movement without support requires your core to work. Weak core means you'll wobble and reach for support.

Body composition. Excess weight makes the movement dramatically harder. The test implicitly assesses whether you're carrying too much.

A single 10-second test evaluates five things that matter for longevity. If you fail, at least one of these systems is already declining.

The Uncomfortable Reality Check

Most people over 40 struggle with this test. They've spent years sitting in chairs, avoiding the floor, and letting their bodies adapt to comfort.

They don't realize they're declining because they've structured their lives to avoid the movements that would reveal it.

They never sit on the floor, so they never notice they can't get up from it.

They always have a chair nearby, so they never notice their legs have weakened.

They avoid anything that challenges balance, so they never notice their stability is gone.

The sitting-rising test forces you to confront what you've been avoiding.

What Your Score Means

The test is scored out of 10 points - 5 for sitting down and 5 for standing up.

You lose a point each time you use a hand, knee, forearm, or the side of your leg for support. You lose half a point if you visibly lose balance.

Score 8–10: Your musculoskeletal health is excellent. Keep doing what you're doing.

Score 6–7.5: Early signs of decline. You've lost some strength, flexibility, or balance. Time to address it.

Score 3.5–5.5: Significant decline is already underway. Your risk of mortality is meaningfully elevated. This needs attention now.

Score 0–3: Your body has declined substantially. The research suggests your mortality risk is 5–6 times higher than someone who scores 8–10.

Be honest with yourself. What did you score?

If You Failed: What's Actually Wrong

If you couldn't pass this test, here's what's likely happening:

If you needed your hands going down: Your leg strength, particularly your quads and glutes, has declined. You don't have the eccentric strength to control the lowering.

If you needed your hands getting up: Your leg strength has declined further. You can't generate enough force to stand without assistance.

If you lost balance: Your stability systems have weakened. This is often from lack of practice - your body has forgotten how to balance because you never challenge it.

If you couldn't get low enough: Your hip, knee, and ankle mobility have declined. You've lost range of motion from years of sitting in chairs.

The good news: all of these are fixable. The bad news: they won't fix themselves. They'll only get worse unless you act.

How to Improve Your Score

If you scored below 8, here's how to address each component:

For leg strength: Squats. Start with chair squats if needed - sit down to a chair and stand up without using your hands. Progress to lower surfaces. Eventually, no chair at all. Do these daily.

For balance: Practice standing on one foot while brushing your teeth. Progress to closing your eyes. Stand on unstable surfaces. Challenge your balance regularly so your body remembers how to balance.

For flexibility: Daily hip stretches. Deep squats (assisted if needed). Ankle mobility work. Get on the floor regularly - sit there while watching TV. Your body will adapt to whatever positions you use.

For core stability: Planks. Dead bugs. Bird dogs. These build the core strength needed to control your body through space.

For body composition: If excess weight is making this harder, that's a signal too. Nutrition matters.

The Bigger Picture

This test isn't just about one movement. It's about the trajectory of your life.

People who can easily sit and rise from the floor at 50 are building habits and maintaining function that will carry them into their 70s and 80s.

People who can't are on a different trajectory. One that leads to falls, fractures, loss of independence, and earlier death.

You don't feel the decline day to day. That's what makes it dangerous. But this test makes it visible.

If you failed, your body is sending you a message. The question is whether you'll listen.

The Challenge

Here's what I want you to do:

Test yourself today. Get an honest score.

If you passed easily, keep doing what you're doing - and test yourself again in six months to make sure you're maintaining.

If you failed, start working on it today. Not next week. Today.

Practice the movement itself. Work on the underlying components. Get on the floor more often.

Retest in 30 days. Your score should improve if you're doing the work.

This simple movement predicts your future better than you'd like to believe. The research is clear. The test is easy.

What you do with the information is up to you.

But now you can't say you didn't know.

10 minute workouts you can do anywhere.

Today's FL 10 Minute Workout: The Floor Is Talking

Location: Anywhere With Floor Space

Zone: Longevity / Anti-Decline

Each Exercise: 2 Minutes

Sit-to-Floor, Stand-to-Feet (no hands) - the actual test from the article, repeated slowly, over and over for 2 full minutes

Deep Squat Hold with Ankle Rock - sit in the deepest squat you can, shift weight side to side through your ankles (the mobility piece you're probably missing)

Single Leg Dead Bug - lying on your back, extend opposite arm and leg while keeping your lower back glued to the floor (the core stability that keeps you from wobbling)

Standing Eyes-Closed Single Leg Balance - one leg, eyes shut, 30 seconds each side, repeat (this is where your balance actually gets exposed)

Floor Get-Up Flow - start lying flat on your back, stand up without hands, lie back down, repeat for 2 minutes (the full expression of everything the article is testing)

Total Time: 10 Minutes

Continue the 10 minute streak. Here's all 365 workouts.

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This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for professional care. Always listen to your body and consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, exercise routine, or health practices - especially if you have existing conditions or injuries.