THESE TWO SIMPLE TESTS, DOCTORS SAY, CAN OFFER EARLY INSIGHT INTO HOW WELL YOU MAY AGE

Griff Jenkins opened the Fox & Friends Weekend segment with a stat that’s hard to ignore, because it suggests most adults aren’t doing what they think they’re doing. 

Griff said the CDC reports only about a fourth of U.S. adults meet recommended guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening work tied to longevity, and he joked he “would like to hope” he’s in that group – before admitting on-air that he wasn’t totally sure until he got tested.

That little moment of honesty is probably why this kind of segment lands with people. Most of us feel like we’re doing okay, but when you strip away the fitness apps, the step counts, and the “I’ll start Monday” plans, the real question becomes simple: can your body do the basic things that keep you independent?

That’s where board-certified rheumatologist Dr. Mahsa Tehrani came in, standing right there with Griff, ready to run two tests she says can give an early snapshot of how well someone may be aging.

Dr. Tehrani’s Longevity Lens In Plain English

Dr. Tehrani told Griff that longevity comes up constantly in her practice, especially around the end of the year when people start thinking about New Year’s resolutions. And instead of talking about some fancy, expensive workup, she explained that she looks at key physical factors that show up in everyday life.

She said one major piece is joint health overall, and she described what she pays attention to when she examines patients: are the joints warm, red, swollen, or holding fluid, and how mobile are they. 

She also pointed to core strength and balance, framing them as essential markers that can tell her a lot about how well someone is aging.

I’ll be honest: I like that approach because it doesn’t flatter you. It doesn’t care what you planned to do this year, or what you used to do in your 30s, or what your smartwatch says after a good day – it cares whether your body can still handle the basic demands that life quietly requires.

Griff, for his part, made it personal quickly. He said he had just turned 55, and he wanted to get right to the point – let’s see if he passes.

Test One: The Sit-To-Stand Reality Check

Dr. Tehrani introduced the first test as the sit-to-stand test, and she explained it in a way that felt almost too simple at first, which is usually how the best tests work. She told Griff that if you can do this properly, it’s a strong sign you’re likely to remain healthy over the next decade, because it reflects strength and control in the muscles people rely on constantly.

Her instructions were specific, and that’s important because “kind of” doing it isn’t the same as doing it correctly. Dr. Tehrani told Griff to sit with his feet flat on the floor, keep his back straight, cross his arms across his chest, and then stand up and sit back down in a controlled way.

Griff repeated what he was hearing as he did it – sit up, keep posture – like someone trying to follow directions while also hoping he doesn’t wobble on live television. 

Dr. Tehrani immediately reacted with encouragement, calling it “fantastic,” and she even told him he was getting “double brownie points,” which made the whole moment feel less clinical and more like a coach watching good form.

Then she explained why the test matters in the first place. Dr. Tehrani told Griff it wasn’t just a random little challenge; it tests the core and major muscle groups that support real-world movement, including hamstrings, glutes, and lower-extremity muscles – exactly the areas that help determine whether aging looks like independence or like constant struggle.

This is where I think people should pause, because standing up from a chair doesn’t sound like a “fitness milestone” until you’ve watched someone lose the ability to do it smoothly. When that motion becomes hard, a lot of life becomes hard, and it tends to shrink a person’s world faster than people expect.

Test Two: Balance, Neuromuscular Function, And A Five-Second Standard

After the sit-to-stand, Dr. Tehrani moved to the second test she said is validated and commonly used in her clinic: a simple balance test. And again, she kept it plain and doable, the kind of thing you can try without equipment, without a gym, and without pretending you have an hour to spare.

She told Griff to stand up, bring his hands out in front if he wanted, lift one leg, and hold the position for five seconds. Griff went for it immediately, and Dr. Tehrani counted him down – five, four, three, two, one – before telling him he passed “with flying colors.”

Griff’s reaction was pure relief, and he folded in something from his own life that made the conversation feel more normal. 

He said that as a surfer, one thing he often does before getting in the water is a quick check-in with core and balance, just to make sure everything is working the way it should, and he asked if that’s something people should be doing daily at home.

Dr. Tehrani didn’t hesitate. She told Griff she thinks balance is neglected because people talk constantly about cardio and other exercises, but balance training is essential since it reflects neuromuscular function—in other words, how well your brain and body coordinate to keep you upright and controlled.

And then she offered what she called a “quick hack” that sounded almost laughably practical: she said she likes balancing on one foot while brushing her teeth in the morning or while waiting for coffee. 

It’s the kind of tip that’s easy to roll your eyes at until you realize it’s actually smart, because it removes the biggest excuse people use—“I don’t have time.”

She also pointed to Tai Chi as an excellent balancing exercise, putting it in the category of routines that build control without needing to go smash yourself in a high-impact workout.

Here’s my take, woven into the reality of it: balance training is one of those things that doesn’t feel urgent until it suddenly is. People train what looks impressive, but the ability to steady yourself in a split second – on stairs, on wet pavement, stepping off a curb – is the stuff that keeps a normal day from turning into an injury that changes everything.

Muscle, Bone, Blood Sugar, And The Quiet Payoff Of Strength

Dr. Tehrani didn’t just stop at the demonstrations; she told Griff what she considers her best advice for viewers, and she put it bluntly: build muscle mass.

She explained that when people strength train, they increase insulin sensitivity and optimize blood sugar control, and she connected that to the broader idea of aging well, because metabolic health isn’t some abstract concept when you’re talking about long-term independence. In her framing, muscle supports the body’s internal stability, not just how you look in a mirror.

Dr. Tehrani also said strength training helps protect bone density, which means less risk of falling and suffering fractures as you get older. 

That’s a big point, because falls are not just “oops” moments later in life; they can be the start of a long decline if they lead to broken hips, long recoveries, and fear of movement afterward.

She added one more benefit people often forget: decreasing systemic inflammation when you build muscle mass. And whether someone agrees with every detail or not, the broader message makes sense – muscle isn’t just for athletes; it’s functional armor for normal living.

Then Dr. Tehrani circled right back to balance, calling for daily balance training, and she delivered the line that was basically the headline in medical form: she said studies show the number one predictor of whether you live independently in your 80s and 90s is how well you can balance today.

That statement lands because it’s both encouraging and uncomfortable. Encouraging, because it suggests you can influence your future with small habits right now. Uncomfortable, because it implies your future independence might not hinge on some dramatic, cinematic health event – it might hinge on whether you kept your legs and core engaged enough to stay steady on one foot.

Griff, near the end, added another piece he said he knows Dr. Tehrani is big on: sleep, mentioning he loves sleep and hinting he knows it belongs in the longevity conversation too. 

Even though the segment centered on strength and balance, that nod mattered, because it quietly reminds viewers that aging well isn’t one magic trick – it’s a stack of boring basics that pay off over time.

Why These Two Tests Stick With People

What I like about the way Griff Jenkins and Dr. Mahsa Tehrani handled this is that it didn’t feel like a lecture or a commercial for some new program. 

Griff made it relatable by admitting he was nervous, and Dr. Tehrani made it practical by demonstrating tests that don’t require special gear, perfect genetics, or a personal trainer following you around with a clipboard.

If you want a simple takeaway from their exchange, it’s this: the body’s “aging report card” often shows up in plain movements you do every day – standing up under control, and balancing without wobbling like you’re on a tightrope.

And if that’s sobering, it’s also useful, because it gives people a starting point that doesn’t depend on motivation spikes or complicated plans. You can’t rebuild ten years of habits in a weekend, but you can stand up a little more deliberately, train your legs and core with intention, and sneak balance work into the parts of the day you already live through.

As always, if someone has medical concerns – joint pain, dizziness, balance issues, or recent injuries – the smart move is to bring a clinician into the conversation before testing limits. 

But as a general reality check, the two tests Dr. Tehrani walked Griff through are memorable precisely because they’re simple, and because simple things are the ones we can actually keep doing.

2026-01-17T17:00:28Z