Can you get up from the floor without using your hands? Stand on one leg without wobbling? Rise repeatedly from a chair? Give a strong squeeze with your hand?
Simple tests like these have become popular ways to measure how well we’re aging. Some have even been promoted on social media as tests that can predict how long you’ll live.
But don’t panic if you can’t ace them.
These tests can reveal important information about strength, balance and mobility, but experts say they aren’t crystal balls predicting how long you have to live.
Instead, think of a poor score as a clue that something may deserve attention.
“A poor or declining result is a reason for a health professional to investigate why function is changing, rather than gauging how long someone will live,” said Auriel Willette, an expert on brain aging at Rutgers University.
What Can You Do?
One test that has gained attention asks you to lower yourself from standing to sitting cross-legged on the floor, then get back up, ideally without using your hands or knees for support.
Research has linked better performance on the test with better long-term health outcomes. But that doesn’t mean struggling to get off the floor means you’re in poor health or headed for an early death.
Difficulty could point to problems with strength, flexibility, balance or even a painful knee or hip.
A more common test for older adults is the chair stand. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses a version that measures how many times someone over 60 can rise from a chair in 30 seconds without using their arms.
Then there’s balance. Standing on one leg or performing other simple balance exercises can help identify people who may be at greater risk of falling.
And grip strength — basically measuring how hard you can squeeze — can provide another window into overall strength and physical function.
Doctors may also watch how quickly someone walks or how easily they can get out of a chair, walk a short distance and return.
Don’t Let One Test Scare You
The important thing is not to become overly focused on passing any single test.
Grip strength, for example, might be affected by arthritis or a previous stroke. Trouble getting off the floor might reflect knee problems. Poor balance could be related to medications, eyesight or an inner-ear problem. Becoming winded during a test could point to a heart or lung issue.
That’s why doctors consider these screening tools, not diagnoses.
“The key to react to it is to understand where did we not do well,” said Dr. George Hennawi, who treats older adults at MedStar Health in Baltimore.
A decline can give you and your doctor a place to start looking.
That’s particularly important when it comes to falls. More than one-quarter of older adults fall each year, and many never tell their doctors. A balance or mobility problem might signal the need for physical therapy, medication changes, an assistive device or exercises designed to improve strength.
The Bigger Picture
There’s another reason not to obsess over your score: healthy aging is about much more than physical strength.
Doctors also look at memory, cognition, hearing, eyesight, heart health and other measures. Exercise, nutritious food, good sleep and managing stress all contribute to how well we age.
So go ahead and see whether you can get up from the floor without using your hands. Try standing on one leg. Pay attention to whether getting out of a chair has become harder than it used to be.
Just don’t use the result to predict your expiration date.
Instead, use it for what these tests do best: giving you an early clue that there may be something you can work on — or something worth discussing with your doctor.