It is widely known that if we want to lead longer and healthier lives, then we must eat healthily and exercise regularly.

But what if we told you that there’s an easy, effective, and safe way to keep ailments away and help maintain a healthy body and mind?

Sleeping regularly, eating nutritious food, and staying active are, without a doubt, the most important habits we can pick up to lead healthier lives. But we’ve recently come across another habit: squatting.

Leslie Kenny, Founder of Oxford Healthspan, recommended that we should eat and rest in a squat position. Yes, we know what you’re thinking, resting in a squatting position seems odd, right?

But, according to Ms Kenny, this habit is common in an area called the ‘blue zone’ – five places where people live particularly long lives.

According to Ms Kenny, squatting is the secret to longevity. Credit: Anna Shvets/Pexels

The ‘blue zones’ include Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Nicoya in Costa Rica, Ikaria in Greece, and Loma Linda in California.

Ms Kenny explained: ‘In these blue zones, people will usually spend plenty of time outside in the sunshine getting active movement, such as walking, hiking, and gardening.’

She added that in Okinawa, Japan, people have a ‘floor culture’, where they eat their meals and even rest in the squat position.

‘Floor Culture’ is heavily ingrained in both Japanese and Korean cultures. One of the reasons behind ‘floor culture’ is related to respect and politeness. Respect for the elderly, hierarchy in the home and the importance of harmony within a group or family are all elements of this culture. This etiquette follows the Confucianism and Bushido principles which have been around for centuries and have shaped the way of life for many Japanese and Koreans.

In Asia, there’s something called the ‘Asian squat’, wherein an individual squats down as far as they can go, while staying aloft and balanced on the heels. It looks like this:

This is an Asian squat. Credit: jasmin chew/Pexels

It is believed that the 'Asian squat' provides better balance, greater mobility and flexibility, and fixes your posture.

‘This simple act of getting up and down off the floor regularly builds lower body strength and refines balance, both of which may help protect against falls and later life frailty,’ Ms Kenny stated.

But what does the research say?

A study that was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology tested this theory: the ability to sit and rise from the floor without using hands or knees was an indicator of a longer life.

It also reported that, because there’s a lack of data regarding musculoskeletal fitness indicators, they aimed to ‘evaluate the association between the ability to sit and rise from the floor and all-cause mortality’.

The study analysed data from more than 2,000 adults aged between 51 and 80, who carried out a ‘sitting-to-rising test’. The participants were scored from 0 to 5, with one point being subtracted from 5 for each support used (like using a hand or knee).

The final score was obtained by adding sitting and rising scores and grading it in 4 categories. Throughout the study, 159 participants passed away (around 7.9 per cent of participants).

The results said: ‘Lower sitting-rising test scores were associated with higher mortality.’

‘Musculoskeletal fitness…was a significant predictor of mortality in 51 to 80-year-old subjects,’ the researchers explained.

Before starting any exercise routine, make sure to consult with your GP first to be safe. If they say okay, then you can try the sitting test at home:

• Sit on the ground.
• From that seated position, get up without using your hands.
• If you can get up this way, you pass the test.
• If you need to use your hands, you get a ‘B’ grade.
• If you have trouble getting up altogether, you wouldn’t get a passing grade.

Key Takeaways

• Eating healthily and getting plenty of exercise is key to living a longer life.
• Eating and resting in the squat position is a habit commonly found in a ‘blue zone’ - areas where people tend to live the longest.
• Research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology suggests that the ability to sit and rise from the floor without using your hands or knees is a predictor of life expectancy.
• A simple sitting-to-rising test can be done at home.

Have you ever tried the sitting-to-rising test? Share your experiences in the comments below!

 

[Rusty Nutz]

Rise from sitting on the floor...no hands OR knees? Im-bloody-possible!
Rising from deep squat position, yes!

 

[Thecheesequeen]

I tore my meniscus while getting up from a squat! The most painful thing I’ve ever experienced apart from childbirth. My surgeon told me never to do squats.

 

[lizclarke]

I can’t get up from the floor position and bless I use a coffee table or chair.
I absolutely admire the Asian elders that do this a a matter of routine. I thought no however westerners struggle unless they learnt this as a child.

 

[PepeLePew]

I can sit on the floor without a problem and get up off the floor without using my hands but as for squatting for any period of time that just rarely every happens unless I'm weeding the garden. Having arthritis in the left knee means knowing what I can and can't do these days to avoid pain although I do push my limits more often than I probably should.

 

[Ricci]

But the floor is so far away! Getting down isn't so bad but I had better have a few chores to complete while I'm there as it doesn't happen often. Getting up is a whole different world of pain, one of my feet is held together with rods and screws so it doesn't bend properly add to that a back that is totally stuffed and waiting on an operation so I think I'll rule myself out if you don't mind!