Health
How old are you really? 4 quick tests that reveal all
No folks, this story is not medical advice. It’s a fun way to gauge your physical and cognitive state (as well as a chance to have a laugh with your friends).
By Alex Brooks
No matter our chronological age, our birthday is an imperfect measure to gauge ageing.
It’s a fact that one person over the age of 50 will physically, mentally and emotionally differ from another of the exact same age.
Our genes, diet and exercise habits all influence what’s called ‘healthspan’ - the period of life which is free of age-limiting conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, dementia, cardiovascular conditions or arthritis.
The 4 tests you’re about to discover are a fun way to check in on your physical strength, balance and cognitive abilities.
I did these with some over-50 friends of mine in the spirit of fun and competition. They are not medically relevant but feel free to chat to your doctor if you’re worried about anything they may bring up.
Warning: The results of these tests can be a little confronting. I have been strength training for 12 months to be able to get off the floor with no hands… and I’m still terrible at it.
Test 1: Stand on one leg test
What it is: Stand on one leg with your eyes open and closed to see how long it takes you to sway, wobble or slam your raised foot back to the ground to prevent a fall.
How to do it: Take your shoes off and find a safe place, perhaps with a wall or rail you can grab if you need.
You’ll also need a timer (your smartphone will have one).
To start the test, stand with legs apart and cross your arms over your chest. Raise one leg and time how long you can hold it off the ground without losing your balance.
Time yourself with your eyes open and eyes closed (having your eyes closed makes it so much harder).
What it measures: The late Dr Michael Mosley popularised this test as a powerful predictor of dementia and healthspan.
He found a British Medical Journal study carried out over 13 years found lower levels of physical capability at age 53 was associated with higher rates of mortality.
A Sydney University study found people in mid-to-later life who are unable to stand unsupported on one leg for at least 10 seconds are 84% more likely to die from any cause over a subsequent 10-year period.
That might seem scary but the good news is that you can train yourself to stand on one leg with daily practice sessions.
A 2024 study confirmed this particular balance test is a good measure of ‘neuromuscular ageing’, which is the gradual decline in strength, co-ordination, balance and mobility everyone faces as they get older.
As we age, the balance structures in our inner ear - also called the vestibular system - deteriorate due to a decrease in sensory hair cells and reduced blood flow.
Your ability to train yourself to stand on your ‘non-dominant leg’ (the one that’s weakest) is a perfect exercise to train your brain and vestibular responses for balance.
As a guideline for test results, the study found:
- People under 40 with eyes open averaged 45 seconds. With eyes closed: 15 seconds.
- Aged 40-49 with eyes open averaged 42 seconds. With eyes closed: 13 seconds.
- Aged 50-59 with eyes open averaged 41 seconds. With eyes closed: 8 seconds.
- Aged 60-69 with eyes open averaged 32 seconds. With eyes closed: 4 seconds.
- Aged 70-79 with eyes open averaged 22 seconds. With eyes closed: 3 seconds.
Our verdict: A good test which requires strong and flexible hips. Practicing it every day could be a great way to build focus and build strength over time.
Test 2: Sit to stand chair test
What it is: Sit on a hard-backed chair and come to a full standing position, timing how long it takes you and how many repetitions you can do.
How to do it: Sometimes this is called the chair stand test, and there are many ways to count and score it, but we chose 2 versions:
- how many repetitions you can do over 30 seconds
- how quickly you can do 5 full repetitions.
You will need a chair without armrests that has a seat around 45cm from the ground.
The chair should be against the wall for safety. Sit in the chair with feet hip-width apart and arms crossed over chest with feet planted on the floor.
Use a timer and count how many times they can sit down and stand up again.
What it measures: Sitting down and getting back up from a seated position is a basic activity most of us will need to do everyday to live independently.
Ideally, the movement from sit to stand is clean, strong and has good form. People who need to use their hands or arms to get out of the chair score zero points.
This sitting-standing test can be a predictor of future healthspan. It’s also been studied to help determine how people recover from serious diseases or time spent in intensive care.
The trick to acing this test is having strong knees and thigh muscles.
Muscle strength helps prevent chronic disease and increase the quality of our life as we age, according to this research.
For the 30-second timed version of this sit to stand chair test, the average number of repetitions for age groups are:
- Men aged 60-64 <14, women aged 60-64 <12
- Men aged 65-69 <12, women aged 65-69 <11
- Men aged 70-74 <12, women aged 70-74 <10
- Men aged 75-79 <11, women aged 75-79 <10
For the 5 repetition sit-to-stand test, it’s considered that taking more than 13.6 seconds to complete the task is associated with “mobility disability”. And if you need to use your hands to get up, then the score is zero.
Our verdict: Sitting in the chair and chatting is more fun than getting up from it in a hurried test while all your friends compete to be faster than you. Watch out for wildly competitive behaviour if you do this with a buddy.
Test 3: Rise from floor no hands test
What it is: Getting up from the floor without using your hands sounds simple - but it isn’t! Especially if you have sore knees, arthritis, poor balance or tight hips like myself.
This functional test involves scoring the way you get yourself up from the floor without using your hands to assist.
How to do it: Sit on the floor with your legs crossed or straight out in front of you. Now stand up again. You might need a chair or someone nearby for safety.
Beginning with a score of 10, subtract one point if you do any of the following for support when you try to rise:
- use your hand
- use your knee
- use your forearm
- use one hand on the knee or thigh
- use the side of your leg
- lose your balance at any time.
What it measures: Everything - from your legs and core muscles to your balance reflexes and proprioception.
A 2012 study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology showed that people who could sit down and rise from the floor without support lived longer and healthier lives.
Those who struggled with the test were up to 5 times more likely to die within the next 6 years compared to their more nimble counterparts. Why? Because this test is a gauge of how all your neuromuscular systems work together.
If you flopped during your attempt, don’t stress - this is a skill you can train, not a final verdict. Here’s how:
Practice rising first:
- Start by sitting cross-legged on the floor and using minimal support (like fingertips) to stand up.
- Gradually reduce how much assistance you need over time.
Strengthen and stretch to prime your body:
Do squats or lunges when cleaning your teeth twice a day - daily leg strengthening exercises help to build muscle over time. Add hip, hamstring and ankle stretches to improve your mobility and flexibility.
Practice one-leg stands and stability moves:
Try single-leg stands or stability exercises to sharpen your proprioception and reflexes. For example, stand on the stairs holding on to a rail and do calf raises on one leg at a time.
Our verdict: The friend who spent her childhood doing ballet aced this test over the more, ahem, non-sporting types (me!). I struggled, but was able to adapt it by sitting in a deer-leg position rather than crossed legs.
Test 4: cognitive question test
What it is: There are many different cognitive tests doctors and specialists perform, but we chose to simplify the mini-mental state examination and make it easy.
How to do it: There are basic questions to test that you know what day it is and where you are, as well as a few brainteasers that monitor comprehension. It asks you to do things that are part of normal daily life. It's important to know:
- you can’t pass or fail and it’s not an IQ or intelligence test
- by itself, this test will not diagnose you with any health issue — other tests are needed for that
What it measures: It doesn’t measure too much medically, but offers a ‘score’ of cognitive abilities. You can find the scoring system and questions by Googling “mini state mental examination questions and scores”.
Healthdirect explains more about the mini-mental state examination, but there are oodles of other cognitive tests that you can also try for fun. Remember: none of these tests will diagnose you without a doctor or specialist doing it for you.
Check out Citro’s article on health checks to have in your 50s.
Our verdict: It’s fun to time each other, but once the first person has done the test, everyone else knows the answers.
Feature image: iStock/Paperkites; all graphics by Alex Brooks.
The information on this page is general information and should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Do not use the information found on this page as a substitute for professional health care advice. Any information you find on this page or on external sites which are linked to on this page should be verified with your professional health care provider.
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