You mastered two of the most basic physical skills—sitting down, then standing up again—when you were still in diapers, and you no doubt think you’ve been acing them ever since. But can you pass the sit-down-stand-up test? It’s a longevity test devised by a team of Brazilian researchers and recently written up in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, and it’s proven to be predictive of how long you’ll live—or, to be more accurate, of how long you won’t. A variation on the classic chair test (where a subject is asked to stand up from a seated position in a chair), which doctors have long used to assess leg strength and lower body fitness in seniors, the sit-down-stand-up test was designed to provide a window into an older person’s ability to function well and remain autonomous. But it’s revealing for those of us who are 40-plus, too, because it calls for flexibility, balance, motor coordination, and, most importantly, ample muscle power relative to body weight. If you can’t do it, your health and longevity may be at risk. The test is simple to grasp if not do: Just sit on the floor from a standing position without using your hands, arms, or knees to slow your descent. Then stand back up—without using your hands, arms, or knees to help boost you back up, if possible. (Hint: Crossing your legs on the way down and the way up seems to help, and loosely holding your arms out to your sides can help with balance.) In the Brazilian study, 2002 men and women ages 51 to 80 were followed for an average of 6.3 years, and those who needed to use both hands and knees to get up and down (whether they were middle-aged or elderly) were almost seven times more likely to die within six years than those who could spring up and down without support. Their musculoskeletal fitness, as measured by the test, was lacking. And musculoskeletal fitness, it turns out, is very important.    “It is well known that aerobic fitness is strongly related to survival,” study author Claudio Gil Soares de Araújo, a professor at Gama Filho University in Rio de Janeiro, has said, “but our study also shows that maintaining high levels of body flexibility, muscle strength, and coordination also has a favorable influence on life expectancy.” So favorable that it’s worth practicing for.     You can do the sit-down-stand-up test? Bully for you. But for those who can’t—or, for those who can but want to maintain their physical skills and live a long, vital life—we asked Jacque Ratliff, exercise physiologist and education specialist for the American Council on Exercise, to suggest four simple exercises that mimic the movements required in the sit-down-stand-up test and, if performed regularly, will help you to boost your flexibility, muscle strength, and coordination and ace the sit-down-stand-up test.

  1. The Squat Photo by Antonio Diaz/Getty Images It’s never anyone’s favorite exercise, we know. But it’s efficient—and very effective. “In the test, you have to lower yourself to the ground, so the descent from standing into the squat is an effective way to improve your descent to sitting,” says Ratliff. “Also, over time, you’ll be able to increase the depth of the squat while still maintaining an upright torso, and your hips will become more flexible, which will allow for a smoother transition from standing to sitting, and from sitting to standing.” Stand with your feet just wider than hip-width apart, toes turned out slightly. Keep your arms at your sides and your shoulders back toward your hips. Engage your abs, shifting your weight back into your heels, then hinge at the hips, shifting them back and down. As you lower your hips, your knees will bend and start to shift forward; try to prevent them from traveling too far forward past your toes. Keeping your back flat, lower yourself until your thighs are parallel or almost parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position by pushing your feet into the floor through your heels. Your hips and torso should rise together. Repeat 10 to 15 times for 1 set. Work up to 3 sets, 3 times a week. To add difficultly, hold some light dumbbells in each hand.
  2. The Glute Activation LungeThis move is the Neil Patrick Harris of exercises—it does everything, building strength even as it improves balance and flexibility. “By crossing the front leg across the body and twisting in the opposite direction, you’re activating your outer glute more than you would in a traditional lunge,” says Ratliff, “and that will help you build the strength to stand from a seated position on the floor. The rotation also improve flexibility in the opposite hip, boosting your range of motion there.” Stand with your feet together and arms raised in front of you to shoulder height. Pull your shoulders down and back toward your hips. With your right foot, step across your body to the 3 o’clock position. Lunge from this position by bending at the hips until your right knee is directly over the second toe of your right foot and your left knee is bent and your left heel is off the ground. As you lunge, rotate your arms and torso in the opposite direction of the lunge movement. This increases the load on your glutes. Finally, push off with your front leg, activating your thigh and butt muscles to return to your upright, starting position. Repeat with the opposite leg to complete 1 rep. Do 10 to 15 reps. Work up to 3 sets, 3 times a week.
  3. The Push-Up Photo by Mitch Mandel It’s a classic, sure—but what does the push-up it have to do with sitting down and standing up? It boosts trunk strength. “And as your trunk strength increases, so does your overall stability, which you need when you’re getting up from the ground,” says Ratliff. (If a standard push-up is too difficult, start with an elevated push-up instead.) Lie on your stomach with your hands directly under your shoulders and your fingers facing forward. Engage your abs and flex your ankles, tucking your toes toward your shins, then slowly lift your torso and thighs, keeping your torso and legs rigid. Next, lower your chest toward the floor, then push back to the start for 1 repetition. Work up to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, 3 times a week.
  4. Contralateral Limb Raises Photo by Mitch Mandel “When the muscles of the upper back, low back, and glutes are strong, posture improves and so does overall stability of the body,” says Ratliff. “And when you’re moving from a seated to a standing position and vice versa, stability can be the difference between a crumpled core and a successful longevity test.” Lie on your stomach with your legs stretched out behind you, arms stretched out in front of you. Keep your head aligned with your spine. Exhale, and engage your abs to stabilize your spine and slowly float one arm and the opposite leg a few inches off the floor. Keep your arm and leg straight and avoid any rotation in either. Your head and torso should not move, and avoid any arching in your back. Hold this position briefly, then inhale and return to the starting position. Switch sides for one rep. Repeat 10 to 15 times for one set. Work up to 3 sets, 3 times a week. MORE: How Strength Training Can Save Your Life