Mobility, stability, balance and strength have been associated with longevity, in part because they are measures of both overall vitality and can predict the likelihood of injury from falling, especially among seniors. A study that attempted to correlate these measures with mortality came out in 2013: Brazilian researchers followed 2000 adults between 50-80 for 6 years after doing an initial sitting-rising test (SRT). They found a strong correlation between lower scores and higher mortality. The study is here:
The test is easy to do at home, as is the scoring of it:
If you can do this perfectly, without losing your balance, and without needing to touch your hands, arms or legs to the floor, you score 10/10. Scoring is based on a maximum of 5 points going down, and 5 points going back up. The details look like this:
If you score 8-10, that is excellent! Your vitality is preserved.
If you 6-7.5, that is still good, but some work needs to be done.
If you scored 3.5- 5.5, that is only fair.
If you scored 0-3, that is poor, and may reflect frailty and an increased risk of mortality, in fact you are 6.5 times more likely to die than those in the top category!
No matter where you are on this scale, you can improve your score. and for each point you climb up the scale, your mortality risk drops 21%!
How can you improve your score? In short, regular exercise that includes strength, stability, and mobility training. Pilates, tai chi, yoga, strength training and regular walking can improve your SRT score no matter what your age.
I think we could use this test as a benchmark for people who start NewBack, and then retest them in a couple of months…. Think we can improve some scores? Might be an interesting study, and we could then claim that we reduced overall mortality, since each increment reduces mortality risk by 21%!