Testing Your Longevity: Older or Bolder

This episode kicks off the New Year with something we seem to all be so interested in, right behind belly fat, and that’s longevity. Is it just me or is it even 30-somethings now trying to reverse aging? Unpacking all that this is and isn’t could be a philosophical episode all on its own.

Instead, I’d thought we’d take a look at 4 ways testing your longevity is possible, at home. Now, these tests are not fool-proof. And if you have an old injury or condition, you won’t be able to do one or more. Yet, say some of the researchers, that’s the reason to pay attention – close attention – to the things you can control! So, knowing is good. 

But also.. Please… don’t let this discourage you. It’s not too late. 

An article in Inc. magazine got my attention the other day. 

Apparently a 60-year-old startup founder is 3x as likely to found a successful startup as a 30-year-old startup founder and 1.7 times more likely to have it wind up in the top 0.1 percent of all companies. 

You can’t do that – or anything meaningful – sick, old, tired or with stale ideas. 

So whether you’re one of our healthpreneurs or not, you’re at an advantage if you’re truly healthy. 

Can you do 20 push ups? Sit and stand (barefoot on the floor unassisted)? Walk between at a minimum of 3.3 mph? and hang from a pull up bar for at least 30 seconds? 

You’re not only going to live longer but you can run your business (or family, home and organizations you volunteer for) like a boss.

The first quarter of 2024 the Flipping 50 Membership is going to focus on benchmarking, improving and retesting. In addition to testing those progress chart tracking we always encourage (measurements, body composition and objective ratings of our daily health) we’re targeting these. 

 Here’s how you can start this at home! (or inside our membership? Do this with us the weekend of the 13th and 14th! 

Community Member Question: Intermittent Fasting and Exercise

Molly asked, “Debra  I have been wanting to incorporate fasting into my health regime.  However with your current recommendations of working out in a fed state I have found it is very difficult to get enough protein and to maintain the fasted state. I read the book Feast Fast Repeat and it goes against a lot of the information you recommend. It’s difficult for me to fast for 18 to 20 hours and feel good. Just wondering what your thoughts are on fasting?” 

Start earlier. That makes it simple! You don’t have “dinner” at dinner time.. You have a last high protein meal at 3 or 4pm. 

Fasting has a purpose. Getting off a plateau. You can kickstart with an 18 or 20 hour fast but there is NO reason if you’re an active person to do this regularly. Rotate.., 12, 14, 15, 18 …. 

Rotating the amount of carbs you have also becomes important. Overall, lower than you’ve probably had before in your life (remember when you’d have two bagels at a sitting?) But you might toggle between 50 and 100 grams a day. If you always go long fasting, if you also restrict calories when you are in an eating window, and if you never vary carbs and always go low, you will have no metabolic flexibility. For the majority of humans that just won’t work. Your body is getting stressed by each of those things and never rewarded and replenished. Just where is that energy to do work and fun stuff going to come from? 

If this was your first book? Keep reading. It’s good but there are dozens of ways to fast. They include just going lower calorie for 5 days (with higher fat and lower protein), and using bone broth or doing smoothies twice daily. There are so many ways to start. But for intermittent fasting to be the goal then starting to extend your overnight fast is the beginning. Hit 12 hours. Try 13 and 14. See how you do. But don’t always do it. 

Your week should NOT ever look the same every day or you lose metabolic flexibility. If your goal is to stay active and gain muscle and bone density … tell me in a 20 hour fast how you manage to get micronutrients in.

What we all have to do is prioritize. It’s not intermittent fasting and exercise. It’s intermittent fasting OR exercise. Which do you need most right now and why? 

Also relevant: do you have any emotional eating tendencies or a history of eating disorder or diet and binge? If yes, this is a slippery slope for you. (see resources)

Testing Your Longevity with 4 Tests

PUSHUPS 

Can you do 20 pushups? For females this is the goal as estimated based on the male-only study finding 40 pushups for men significantly decreased risk of cardiovascular risk. Further, it was a better indicator than sub-maximal treadmill tests. While VO2 capacity is associated with longevity, assessing VO2 max is limited to those first with access to a lab and those highly motivated to endure the discomfort a true test requires. 

Pros:

The push up is a test of multiple things including upper body strength as well as core. Overall, it’s a functional use of the body. If you can do it horizontally, good form and posture vertically is far more likely. 

Cons: 

If you’re at all compromised, as many are, with ability to stabilize the scapular (shoulder blades) or with shoulder rotator cuff issues, and can’t maintain good form head to toe the push up can be injurious at worst or increase poor mechanics at best. 

Flip: 

I’d much rather that we all could do at least a few pull ups. 

WALKING PACE

Can you walk a pace between 3-4 mph? It’s actually 3.3 that supports bone density, while slower paces don’t. So, there’s that too. 

If you’re over 60, the effect of slow vs fast walk (at least 3-4 mph) is even more pronounced in reducing all-cause mortality. Like 53% less.

Map out a mile of relatively flat surface. Warm up, test your speed. When returning to retest be sure you do the exact same course. 

Pros: 

This is directly related to our independence later in life. Being able to walk at a respectable pace (I wouldn’t designate this as fast) is a factor of weight and mobility, muscle and joint and metabolic health. Inability to perform this one already indicates a need to buff other areas to compensate. 

Cons: 

If you’re compromised due to a previous injury or a condition in feet, ankles, knees, hips or significantly overweight there is already a limited ability to walk, this test is not a possibility. 

Next up for testing your longevity is a challenging one!! So I hope you’re warmed up! 

SIT RISE TEST 

A study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found how well you do the stand to sit to stand test indicates your risk of mortality. 

Stand barefoot, cross one leg over the other and lower yourself to a sitting position. Then try to stand back up. 

Attempt to do so without touching the floor with your hand, knees, elbows, forearms or sides of your legs. 

You begin with 10 points. Subtract half a point each time you use a body part to shift to one side before levering up. Also subtract half a point if you lose balance. 

In the study those that scored less than 8 points were twice as likely to die within the following six years. Those that scored less than 5 were three times as likely to die within the following six years.  

An increase in your score of any kind reduces your mortality rate by 21%. 

Pros: 

This requires flexibility, balance, mobility and muscle strength. Any lack of balance, flexibility, strength or being overweight make the test harder. Each of these components is correlated to risk of mortality. 

Cons: 

Compromise in a joint that limits the performance of this test may not reveal that some level of these functional components are present in other joints and are evidenced in other activities. 

You need a tool for testing your longevity with this next test. They aren’t costly and some gyms likely also have them. 

GRIP STRENGTH 

In 2018 the grip strength test was determined to correlate to overall body strength and muscle mass. 

Low overall muscle strength (as correlated with grip strength) is a health hazard to all health outcomes except for colon cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. 

You can buy a dynamometer to test grip or for an easier at home or gym option, hang from a pull up bar. For men 60, and for women 30 seconds is a good target, suggest some researchers. Yet, it’s an increase or decrease that you want to watch. A six-pound decrease (as tested on with the hand grip tool – but that may correlate to any reduced time hanging) correlates with 16 percent higher risk of dying from any cause. 

To improve grip strength, you don’t want to just work on grip strength however. Don’t go around the house squeezing tennis balls. That’s not really the value of the test. Improve your overall skeletal muscle strength. Other ways to assess total body strength are a one-rep max or estimated 1-rep max by doing a 10-rep max. Grip strength is far less intimidating and less injurious. But make no mistake your bench press, row or pull up, or leg press weight should also be improving. 

Are You Built to Last (and Love It?)

This small battery of tests are simple ways to assess your function. Every test has limitations. You may not be able to do one or more of them. The best use of them is in addition to outcomes like body fat percent (30% is obese), waist girth (for women, 35 inches significantly increases health risk), amount of muscle mass (in pounds or kilograms) primarily to know if you’re gaining, losing or at very least preserving are additional objective measures. You may already be using these without knowing the significance of them. 

Flipping 50 Members have access to a Progress tracking both objective and subjective measures of progress. If you’re not inside the members area yet with a course, membership, or downloadable freebie, you can start here. https://www.flippingfifty.com/login

The point in measuring and interpreting these is realizing the habits you’ve had to this point got you the results you have at this point. If you wish to change the outcome, you change the habits related to them. An injury or condition may have limited your ability to perform a certain test. This awareness can still be an asset if it highlights the need to strengthen other areas of your health span longevity. 

Need support? Join us for a masterclass Jan 10, 2024 https://www.flippingfifty.com/olderandstronger

Resources: 

Masterclass: https://www.flippingfifty.com/olderandstronger 

Membership: https://www.flippingfifty.com/cafe 

Smart Scale: https://www.flippingfifty.com/givescale

Handgrip: 

Power Plate: https://www.flippingfifty.com/powerplate – use code flipping50 for 25% off and free massage gun with purchase

References:

Araújo CGS, Castro CLB, Franca JFC, Araújo DS. Sitting–rising test: Sex- and age-reference scores derived from 6141 adults. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2020;27(8):888-890. doi:10.1177/2047487319847004

Celis-Morales C A, Welsh P, Lyall D M, Steell L, Petermann F, Anderson J et al. Associations of grip strength with cardiovascular, respiratory, and cancer outcomes and all cause mortality: prospective cohort study of half a million UK Biobank participants  BMJ  2018;  361 :k1651 doi:10.1136/bmj.k1651

de Brito LBB, Ricardo DR, de Araújo DSMS, Ramos PS, Myers J, de Araújo CGS. Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2014;21(7):892-898. doi:10.1177/2047487312471759

Stamatakis E, Kelly P, Strain T, et al

Self-rated walking pace and all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality: individual participant pooled analysis of 50 225 walkers from 11 population British cohorts

British Journal of Sports Medicine 2018;52:761-768.

Yang J, Christophi CA, Farioli A, et al. Association Between Push-up Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(2):e188341. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.8341