The Floor Test
Can you get up off the floor without using your hands?
It sounds almost silly, but this single movement — sometimes called the sitting-rising test — has been used in research as a rough proxy for overall physical function and mortality risk. It requires hip mobility, core strength, balance, and leg power all firing together, which makes it a decent stand-in for "how many of my body's systems are still working as a team." If you haven't tried it in a while, it's worth finding out.
Struggled with the floor test? Talk with your trainer at KORE about how to basic mobility work and functional strength training — squats, lunges, step-ups — a few times a week.
The Grocery Bag Test
Can you carry your groceries inside in one or two trips, without your back, shoulders, or hands complaining?
This one is about grip strength and general muscular endurance, both of which are unusually good predictors of long-term health outcomes. Grip strength in particular has shown up again and again in longevity research as a marker that correlates with broader physical resilience — not because weak grip itself is dangerous, but because it tends to track with overall muscle mass and strength, which matter for staying independent later in life.
Groceries feel heavier than they should? Grip and general resistance training, even two sessions a week, moves the needle faster than most people expect. Talk to your trainer at KORE about how to improve grip strength.
