Can you sit down and stand up without using anything for support? If the answer is no, you may find this very interesting… According to research, muscle strength and flexibility are both vital in order for us to live longer. Brazilian physician Claudio Gil Araujo has carried out a study that proves keeping fit is the key to longevity. Araujo believes that something as simple as sitting and standing can help predict someone’s lifespan. In the study published by the European Journal of Cardiology, the physician tested more than 2,000 patients aged 51 to 80 at Rio’s Clinimex Exercise Medicine Clinic. Each patient was asked to complete the sitting rising test (SRT), something Araujo normally uses to assess the flexibility of athletes. Try SRT for yourself: 1. Wearing comfortable clothes, stand in your bare feet, making sure there is plenty of space around you. 2. Lower yourself to a sitting position on the floor. 3. Without using your hands or legs for help, try raise yourself back up to a standing position. Araujo discovered that people that scored few than 8 points on the test were twice as likely to die within six years. People who scored three out of 10 or less were five times more likely to die within the same time period. Points were deducted every time someone used a body part for support. According to Discover Magazine, Araujo noted that "musculoskeletal fitness, as assessed by SRT, was a significant predictor of mortality” in the age tested age group and now hopes the findings encourage older people to become more fit. We think we need a lie down after this one... Hat-tip: Mail Online.