By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-10 16:19:03 | Updated at 2026-08-10 16:34:12
28 minutes ago
Your performance on seven simple exercises could predict whether or not you'll die early, a study has found.
Researchers found that the number of bicep curls older adults can manage in 30 seconds, as well as how well they can balance on one leg, gave an accurate picture of lifespan.
Other insightful exercises included counting the number of steps taken in two minutes, and reaching behind while seated.
Experts from Taiwan found that those who performed well on the tasks, which measured flexibility, strength, balance and agility, were around two-thirds more likely than low scorers to live longer.
Writing in the journal JAMA Network Open, the scientists said their findings suggest that 'physical fitness captures a distinct domain of health'.
The team analysed 13,423 Taiwanese people with an average age of 73. Almost two-thirds of the group were female.
They aimed to uncover the link between their physical fitness and 'all-cause mortality' – how likely someone is to die from any cause.
Measuring a person's heart and lung fitness, muscle strength, flexibility and balance could uncover their risk of dying young, a study suggests
The researchers, some of whom were based in Chung Yuan Christian University, measured the four areas of physical fitness using seven different tests.
Heart and lung fitness was measured by seeing how many steps each person could do in two minutes.
Muscle strength was assessed by seeing how many bicep curls they could do, as well as the number of times they could stand up and down on a chair in 30 seconds.
The team also tested flexibility by analysing how far participants could reach behind their back and towards their toes while sitting.
Meanwhile, balance and agility was measured by seeing how long a person could stand on one leg.
They also timed how quickly they could stand up from a chair, walk 8ft, turn around and sit down again.
The researchers then combined the results from all tests to create an overall fitness score.
It was found that people who were quickest at getting up from a chair and walking 8ft had a 59 per cent lower risk of death during the seven-year study period.
For women, researchers found that death risk began to rise when the test took longer than around seven to eight seconds.
Participants who could best stand on one leg, meanwhile, had a 50 per cent lower risk.
Those who could do the most chair stands in 30 seconds had a 45 per cent lower risk.
However, the researchers found that the benefits began to level off after around 15 times up-and-down for men.
And the best performers of the two-minute stepping test had a 42 per cent lower risk.
When the researchers combined all seven fitness tests into one score, the fittest group had around a 61 per cent lower risk of death during the seven-year period than the least-fit group.
The researchers believe the findings could be a sign that doctors should start using routine fitness check-ups for older people.
They also said each test may have different contributions towards reducing the risk of death.
Having good balance, movement and strong legs may reduce a person's risk of falling, they said.
This could be particularly important for older people who are at risk of serious fractures, hospitalisation and potentially death.
Authors also said those who performed well in the one leg balance test and 8ft walking exercise may have better 'neuromuscular control' – the function between the brain and the muscles.
As well as being physically inactive, those who died during the study were more likely to be older, poorer and have more existing health problems.
While conducted on Taiwanese adults, the findings could encourage Britons to get moving.
Adults in the UK are currently encouraged to exercise for 150 minutes per week in line with World Health Organisation guidance.
But only around half of middle-aged Britons manage just one brisk 10-minute walk a month.
Low physical activity levels are estimated to cost the UK £7.4billion a year, including around £1billion in NHS spending.
This is largely because sedentary behaviour – the term for physical inactivity – can lead to serious complications like cancer, obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
