How much FIT you are?
Try 'Sitting Rising Test' to know how long you'll live..
No time for exercise? Too busy to eat right? What kind of a toll is it all taking on your health? Dr. Anshul Verma from PhysioEnturst is letting you know about a simple Test “Sitting-Rising Test (SRT)” which you can do at your home today itself to know your health status.
Sitting and rising from the floor may sound like a basic skill, but it’s one that reflects many components of fitness, including your muscular strength and power, coordination, balance, body composition, and flexibility.
Devised in the late ‘90s by a Brazilian physician, Dr. Claudio Araújo, the Sitting-Rising Test (SRT) assesses a person’s health and fitness by quantifying the level of balance and number of supports (e.g. a hand or knee) needed to successfully stand up from a cross-legged sitting position. The test requires little equipment (just yourself, some floor space and someone to observe you) and can be quickly completed, making it an easy and accessible test that you can do almost anywhere.
Performance on this test has been shown to correlate with risk of falling, lower body muscular strength and all-cause mortality risk. Furthermore, these correlations hold, even when controlling for BMI, age, and gender. Low SRT scores (which reflect a lower ability to stand up unsupported) are linked to lower survival rates over a 14-year follow up period, increased risk of falling, and poor lower body muscular strength.
Interestingly, a one point improvement in score, has profound impacts on all-cause mortality, with a 21% reduction observed for each additional point, demonstrating the usefulness of this simple test for assessing overall health.
How to Perform the SRT
1. Stand upright and ensure you have enough space around you (clear away any potential hazards!)
2. Carefully lower yourself into a cross-legged sitting position. Try not to use your arms or hands as leverage or support.
3. Once stably seated, attempt to stand back up, trying not to use your hands or knees for support.
4. You have a total of 10 points: each additional support used (e.g. hand or knee) you lose one point, and half a point for any loss of balance during the movement.
How’d you do?
Scores above 8 are very good and carry a low mortality risk. Scores below 8 are where declines in health and poorer prognoses start to appear. Those scoring three or less have a five-fold increase in their 6-year mortality risk.
Luckily there are things you can do to avoid low scores on the SRT and prevent or at least slow age-related declines in muscular strength and physical function. Resistance training could be the answer – aim for at least two resistance workouts a week and keep your diet balanced and nutritious! Eat enough protein and essential vitamins and minerals (such as Vitamin D and Calcium) to keep your muscle and bones functioning optimally.
Try the Sitting Rising Test yourself and see if your score indicates that you need to work on your muscular strength and balance. If you have a low score, you may want to try unilateral training, either with weights or simply using your own body weight.
Do not panic after seeing the score,
Experts say that none of us humans are born athletes. Therefore, you can take the help of a fitness certified trainer or physiotherapist to correct your health status. For this, you just need to pay a little attention to the joints and muscles. Believe in yourself and choose the right path.
What does SRT tell about health?
Sitting rising test is also called as no-hand test which tells a lot about your physical ability, overall health and flexibility. SRT requires only legs and core strength, balance, coordination and flexibility. But even if you find it difficult to do it, it does not mean that you are completely unfit. Exercises like lunges, hamstrings and planks can make you better for SRT.
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