Latest news with #physicalfitness
Medscape
4 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Where Do You Stand on the Sitting-Rising Test?
Medscape recently published an article mentioning our latest research on physical fitness and overall health. In this paper, we described significant association between low scores on the sitting-rising test (SRT) and higher mortality due to natural and cardiovascular causes in men and women aged 46-75 years. Medscape readers posted several interesting and pertinent comments about the findings, which deserve a response. But before providing my thoughts about these comments, let's go back in time for a bit of context. The Evolution of Fitness Metrics I was a teenager when I first read the book Aerobics , by Dr Kenneth Cooper. Motivated to try out what I had learned, I convinced our high-school PE teacher to apply Cooper's 12-minute test to our class by running laps around the basketball court to estimate aerobic fitness. A few years later (1974), when entering medical school, I was fortunate to have my VO 2 effectively measured in a maximal test undertaken in the university's exercise physiology laboratory. Soon I was working in the same lab as a research assistant. It did not take too long to realize that fitness involved more than 'just' aerobic capacity. I first studied flexibility and proposed the Flexitest as an assessment tool to evaluate the maximal physiologic passive range of motion in several joint movements. But it was only in the late 1990s, after several brainstorming sessions with my wife, Denise Sardinha (who holds a PhD in physical education), and many trials, that the SRT became ready for application. For scientific purposes, my 1999 publication describing the SRT established its birth date. Anatomy of the Sitting-Rising Test Teaching and mentoring graduate students and practicing sports and exercise medicine in CLINIMEX in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has provided me with the opportunity to experiment with the SRT in different scenarios and types of populations, and to formally determine its concurrent validity and interobserver/intraobserver reliability. In July 1998, we formally introduced the assessment as part of the CLINIMEX evaluation protocol and, since then, we have safely applied it to over 9000 individuals ranging in age from 6 to 102 years with a wide variety of clinical and fitness-related conditions. The CLINIMEX exercise cohort has provided us the opportunity to propose sex- and age-reference data from our assessment tools and, in combination with the official data from the state, to conduct several observational studies on nonaerobic fitness and mortality. From its birth in 1999 to now, the SRT has emerged as a tool to simultaneously assess all nonaerobic fitness components — muscle strength and power, flexibility, balance, and body composition — and SRT performance across these components has proven to be a significant predictor of mortality. The main features of the SRT are: It's safe, simple, and quick to apply. The protocol of evaluation is well standardized. The evaluator has standardized verbal instructions to present to test-takers. Scoring is simple (0-10 scale), and even self-scoring can be reliable for many adults. Scores are easily understood by the individual being tested. Scores are reliable and validly assess nonaerobic fitness. No equipment is needed to perform the test or assess the result. Time does not need to be measured and speed of execution is not a factor. The test can be performed by people of any age, from preschoolers to the super-aged. The limitations and contraindications for its application are clearly specified. Good scientific evidence supports its association with mortality. Traditionally, men have had greater strength and power than women, but women tend to be more flexible than men, which somewhat balances scores for men and women in similar age groups. Responding to Reader Reactions I'll now address some additional issues brought by Medscape readers. 'What information does the score add? Compared to vital signs, clinical impressions, medical history, executive function, and other clinical measures, is there additional value in the score? Compared to grip strength, serum albumin, or creatinine, does the new score improve reliable estimation of mortality risk? I would like to know more before I ask my patients to sit on the floor.' Nonaerobic fitness does have prognostic implications for survival in middle-aged and older adults who were able to be evaluated by the SRT, even after controlling for several clinical covariates, such as presence of coronary artery disease, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes. The hazard ratio obtained with SRT scores exceeds those obtained with each one of the components of nonaerobic fitness in our other studies, and it is by far higher than those relating to many of the classical risk factors or basic clinical signs (eg, resting heart rate), making the SRT a very powerful clinical tool. Indeed, I have suggested several times in lectures and interviews that the SRT can be easily incorporated into all health consultations. "None had physical or clinical limitations that restricted their participation in the fitness tests." As with most studies using fitness tests (eg, treadmill studies), we have excluded those with major locomotor or neurologic limitations from our mortality studies. However, other researchers found the SRT clinically useful for some specific cases, such as post-total knee arthroplasty, multiple sclerosis, or chronic stroke. Although we have not specifically studied healthspan, health-related quality of life, or autonomy, in my clinical experience scores on the SRT are strongly related to a better or positive profile in these areas. "I think that cultures where people squat often would excel at this. Not so much for people who were raised to sit in chairs their entire lives." Of course, our latest study has several limitations, as it was a single-center study and restricted to a specific population. Crossing the legs (or ankles) to sit and to rise is not mandatory, but most individuals feel that this is the best way to perform the SRT. Some individuals, especially young children, can prefer to sit down without crossing their legs and do very well with it; this is perfectly OK with the protocol. I agree that people in Asian cultures will likely have more facility to obtain comparable higher SRT scores. Squatting and sitting on the floor seems to be much easier and common to some specific populations in Asia and, coincidentally or not, they tend to live longer. "Yet another 'test' which proves that physically fit people tend to live longer — something doctors haven't known for the past 100 years!" A final thought about how the SRT compares with other 'similar' fitness tests. The 'five times sit-to-stand test' (FTSTS test), presumably first proposed in 1985, is quite well known and similar assessments have been advocated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, several relevant issues differentiate the two tests. The FTSTS test requires a 'standard height' chair and an evaluator trained to adequately and precisely time the execution of the tasks with a stopwatch, which makes it more complicated to administer and introduces potential for error. The SRT is also much simpler to score and interpret, as the FTSTS depends on mean power in five executions. The FTSTS does not depend much on body flexibility or balance, while SRT scoring is very much influenced by these components of nonaerobic fitness. And importantly, no situation in daily life demands an individual stand and sit in a chair five times as fast as possible, while sitting and rising from the floor at 'natural speed' is a common action that we learn early and routinely practice over the course of our life. Beauty in Simplicity We all know physicians have a large array of advanced clinical tools at their disposal, including imaging, laboratory testing, and genetic testing. Over the years, I have studied, admired, and used sophisticated technology, as appropriate, for diagnosing and prognosing in my medical practice. I am fully receptive to these concerns and understand how challenging it can be to recognize that a simple test requiring zero equipment has significant utility in identifying middle-aged and older individuals who are at higher risk for premature death. However, I urge readers to remember the amazing (and likely unreplaceable) merits of observing and examining the patient. These "basics" are a foundational pillar of medicine. The SRT is another great example of how a simple, yet science-backed, test can be so informative and powerful. So, why don't you try it? What is your SRT score? Get your friends and family to join in and compare their SRT scores to sex- and age-reference values. Perhaps after getting acquainted with the SRT, you will consider including it as an assessment tool in your daily clinical practice.
New York Times
01-08-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
For Some, Return of Presidential Fitness Test Revives Painful Memories
Ivory Burnett, 41, does not have fond memories of taking the Presidential Fitness Test. It felt like a military recruitment exercise, she said, with all of her classmates watching as she struggled to run a mile and complete a sit-and-reach, a pull-up and other exercises. 'Doing that pull-up in front of everybody — that was the worst,' said Ms. Burnett, a freelance writer who described herself as taller and 'a little chubbier' than her classmates at Carter and MacRae Elementary School in Lancaster, Pa. 'I never did a pull-up,' she said. 'My jam was just to hang there and cut jokes.' President Trump's announcement on Thursday that he was reviving the fitness test, which President Barack Obama did away with in 2012, has stirred up strong feelings and powerful memories for generations of Americans who were forced to complete the annual measure of their physical abilities. While some still proudly remember passing the test with flying colors and receiving a presidential certificate, many others recoil at the mere mention of the test. For them, it was an early introduction to public humiliation. 'You would see it,' Ms. Burnett said. Her classmates 'would feel body shamed if they didn't perform as well.' Born of Cold War-era fears that America was becoming 'soft,' the test was introduced by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966. Although it changed forms over the years, the most recent version included a one-mile run, modified sit-ups, a 30-foot shuttle run, the sit-and-reach flexibility test and a choice between push-ups or pull-ups. Children who scored in the top 15 percent nationwide earned a Presidential Physical Fitness Award. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
The fitness classes in Indian schools that have religious leaders outraged
Kerala schools introduced Zumba classes as part of a government initiative to improve physical fitness and combat drug use among students. The program, which also includes yoga and mindfulness, has faced strong opposition from both Muslim clerics and Hindu nationalist figures. Opponents claim the classes promote "immorality," are "un-Islamic," and represent a "cultural invasion" undermining traditional Indian practices. Kerala's education minister, V Sivankutty, defended the initiative, stating it is a short physical fitness program, mandatory under the Right to Education Act, and aims to create a healthy school environment. Despite the backlash and protests, the Kerala government has indicated it will not withdraw the program, with Zumba training already underway in many schools.
Khaleej Times
28-06-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Philippines: Overweight cops get 12 months to meet weight standards or lose jobs
Police officers who are overweight have one year to meet physical fitness standards or risk losing their jobs, according Speaking in a radio interview, Gen. Nicolas Torre III Torres emphasised his commitment to enforcing health and fitness requirements across the Philippine National Police (PNP). 'After one year, there will be a separation from the service," the PNP chief warned. Torre cited Republic Act 6975, also known as the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act, which mandates that officers maintain a weight no more or less than 5kg from the standard based on their height, age, and sex. "The standard weight will adjust automatically because one's build is taken into consideration. So you cannot say that you're overweight just because you're bigboned," Torres underscored. He also noted that the qualifications for police officers listed in the law are 'continuing in nature and failure in any one of them can be a cost for termination". "We have regulations for that. They will be given one year to comply with the standard," the PNP chief added. 40 push-ups required To support physical fitness, police officers working the 8am to 5pm shift are now allowed to end their workday at 3pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so they can engage in their chosen fitness routines. Personnel on frontline duties, however, must find their own time to exercise. The PNP chief also added that officers should also be able to perform at least 40 push-ups — or face dismissal. "The reckoning will come during the physical fitness test. We won't show any mercy there," he said. He also warned that if he gets suspicious and he encounters someone who supposedly passed the test, but couldn't do 40 push-ups when asked, he will "find out who approved his results — and both will be dismissed". Fitness as core standard Torre, the PNP's 31st chief, has made physical fitness a cornerstone of his leadership — one that applies to everyone from senior officials down to rank-and-file patrol officers. "It is incumbent upon every police officer to maintain a physical appearance acceptable for a police officer,' said PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Jean Fajardo. Fajardo encouraged officers to start monitoring their Body Mass Index (BMI), which is computed by dividing a person's weight in kilos by the height in meters squared. For officers dealing with health issues, the PNP chief said they are exploring two options: either a full disability discharge or reassignment to administrative roles. The PNP leadership also plans to consult the National Police Commission (Napolcom) regarding proper handling of personnel with medical conditions that affect their weight or fitness levels. 'The directive does not dictate how you are going to lose weight, but of course, we will give considerations,' Fajardo said. Not the first time This isn't the first time fitness has been pushed within the police force. In 2000, then-PNP chief and now Senator-elect Panfilo Lacson also introduced strict standards, famously saying no policeman should have a waistline exceeding 34 inches. His rationale: physical fitness helps project discipline — and a fat policeman 'gave the illusion' of being more prone to corruption. Back then, officers were given only a few months to comply, triggering a wave of fitness programs and mandatory workouts. Even senior officers found themselves under scrutiny, with at least one high-ranking official scolded by Lacson for missing a scheduled fitness test.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jurassic World Rebirth : Mahershala Ali Shares Hardest Part of Training
Originally appeared on E! Online Staying fit is all in a day's work for . While his role in Jurassic World Rebirth required him to be in top physical form, the two-time Oscar winner explained that maintaining his mental wellness was just as important to him while making the upcoming blockbuster. 'It was really about being able to emotionally sustain this journey more than anything,' he exclusively told E! News' at the film's premiere in New York City June 23. 'I got on the bike every day, or did my little curls, my little workout, but it was really [about] sustaining the feeling of being terrorized by these things over the course of four months. That was the tough part.' Fortunately for the 51-year-old, who attended the red carpet affair alongside costars , , Rupert Friend and more, the sequel's international filming locations offered him plenty of options to help him relax when cameras weren't rolling. Jurassic World Rebirth opens in theatres July 2. To see all the stars who attended the film's New York premiere, keep scrolling. (E! and Universal Pictures are both part of the NBCUniversal family.) More from E! Online Tallulah Willis Shares Rare Photos of Dad Bruce Willis Amid Health Battle Jennifer Garner and John Miller Share Rare Kiss During Just As Rare Outing How Much Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Make After 400 Percent Pay Increase 'We were in Thailand, and then we were in Malta, and London was pretty great too,' he continued. 'We were in some wonderful locations, so it was easy to shake things off.' And while the actor—who shares daughter Bari Najma, 8, with wife Amatus Sami-Karim—was far from home during the extensive shoot, he pointed out that being away from his day-to-day life helped him bond with his castmates. 'What I think was a little bit different was being out of it all,' he shared. 'I've shot a lot domestically, but being out in such a special place like Thailand led to us having this feeling of being at a summer camp together.' Jurassic World Rebirth opens in theatres July 2. To see all the stars who attended the film's New York premiere, keep scrolling. (E! and Universal Pictures are both part of the NBCUniversal family.) Scarlett JohanssonJonathan BaileyMahershala AliRupert FriendBrianna LaPagliaLuna BlaiseDavid IaconoBechir SylvainAudrina MirandaPhilippine VelgeEd SkreinErin Lim RhodesPatrick Crowley, Manuel García-Rulfo, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Gareth Edwards, Bechir Sylvain, Philippine Velge & Frank MarshallFrank Marshall, Manuel García-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Scarlett Johansson, Gareth Edwards, Rupert Friend, Bechir Sylvain, Philippine Velge, Ed Skrein & Patrick Crowley For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
