In 1986, a group of scientists pointed a video camera at 40 seniors and asked them to do something incredibly ordinary...
Stand up from a chair, walk a short distance, turn around, walk back, and sit down.
That's it. No treadmill or fancy heart monitors required. Pretty boring, right?
Researchers watched how each person moved and scored their performance. They called it the "get-up and go" test. And despite its simplicity, the results lined up with more extensive laboratory tests measuring balance and mobility.
Forty years later, medical researchers are still exploring this same idea... that your ability to make simple, everyday movements can reveal a lot about your health.
And as a recent large study shows, seniors' performance on a handful of simple physical tests might indicate how well they'll fare into their golden years...
The study, published in JAMA Network Open this week, involved 13,423 Taiwanese adults aged 65 and older. Instead of focusing on one type of fitness, researchers put the participants through seven different tests measuring four major areas of physical function:
- Cardiorespiratory fitness
- Muscle strength
- Flexibility
- Balance and agility
None of the tests required any fancy gym equipment... The seniors did simple movements like marching in place for two minutes, repeatedly standing up from a chair, curling a light weight, standing on one leg, and reaching toward their toes.
One test, though, looked a lot like that 1986 study. In it, participants started out seated in a chair. Then they stood up, walked 8 feet around a marker, returned, and sat back down. It's called the "8-foot up-and-go" test.
Then researchers followed the participants for a median of about seven years...
They found that folks who performed best on the 8-foot up-and-go test had a 59% lower risk of dying during the study period than those who performed the worst.
What's more, when researchers combined the performance on all seven fitness tests, the fittest group had a 61% lower risk of dying than the least-fit group.
In other words, it wasn't just one exercise that mattered. Rather, it was being capable in all areas of fitness – strength, balance, endurance, and agility – that was linked to the lowest risk.
The Importance of Fitness for Seniors
We talk a lot about the benefits of aerobic exercise to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system... as well as the importance of strength training and protein intake to promote muscle strength and bone density...
But all that fitness has to eventually translate into something more practical, like being able to get out of a chair without using your arms... climb a flight of stairs... catch yourself when you stumble... and maybe even carry your groceries inside without feeling like you're dying.
These everyday abilities can mean the difference between living independently and needing help for even the most basic tasks.
As we get older, losing those abilities can start a vicious cycle: The less you move, the weaker your muscles get... The weaker your muscles get, the harder those everyday tasks become... which makes you move even less.
Balance is especially important...
Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries among older Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and up suffer from a fall each year. A single slip on a wet kitchen floor can leave a senior adult with an injury resulting in permanent, irreversible loss of mobility and independence.
(By the way, medications can affect your fall risk, too. In yesterday's issue of my flagship newsletter, Retirement Millionaire, I revealed why it's risky to let your prescriptions sneakily pile up over the years... and what to do about it. You can read the issue here... or grab a trial subscription.)
Hip fractures, for instance, lead to long (and expensive) hospital stays. Not only that, but hip surgery increases your risk of developing secondary complications like pneumonia and blood clots from immobility.
Even the fear of falling can cause people to stop walking, climbing stairs, gardening, or doing other things that once kept them active.
But again, balance is just one piece of the puzzle... Combined with strength, endurance, flexibility, and agility, it helps determine whether you can preserve your independence in your later years.
Three Easy Ways to Train Every Day
Here's how you can incorporate functional fitness into your everyday life...
1. Get out of your chair.
One test from the recent study measured how many times participants could stand up from their seat in 30 seconds. You can do the same movement at home... First sit in a sturdy chair and cross your arms over your chest. Then stand up and slowly sit back down as many times as you can in 30 seconds. You can do this right next to your kitchen counter in case you need some extra support.
This works the major muscles in your legs and hips – the same ones that you rely on to get out of bed, climb stairs, get up from the toilet, and catch yourself when you stumble.
2. Brush your teeth... as a flamingo.
Whenever I'm brushing my teeth, I stand on one leg. Make sure to do it at the sink or counter so you have something sturdy to grab on to if you wobble.
Here's what I do... First, lift one foot a few inches off the ground. You'll want to try to hold it for the first minute of brushing. Then switch to your other foot for the second minute.
Standing on one leg forces your body to constantly make tiny adjustments to keep you upright. It challenges your balance and the muscles that stabilize your legs and core – all of which are key for fall prevention.
3. Carry your own groceries.
As long as it's safe to do so and manageable, try hauling in your own goods instead of asking someone to help you. This makes your hands, arms, shoulders, core, and legs work together while you walk. Lugging in your shopping haul is even mentioned by the National Institute on Aging as one of the everyday tasks you can do to help strengthen muscles.
The bottom line is, you can change your physical fitness. And it's never too late to get started.
What We're Reading...
- Did you miss it? More ways to keep you moving.
- Something different: Now that's a lot of wine.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
August 13, 2026