Four tests. Five minutes.
What your body can do, measured at home.
Research links three simple tests with how long people live: a one leg stand, a floor sit and rise, and push-ups. A fourth, your waist to height ratio, is the measure NICE uses for fat around the middle. You can do all four at home, with a tape measure and a clear bit of floor.
Tested on researched functional metrics.
Four tests from the Five Minute Baseline, each studied in published research.
| Test | What research links it with | The data | Study |
|---|---|---|---|
| One leg standBalance | Research links being able to hold ten seconds with how long people live. | 1.84Hazard ratioAll-cause mortality, adults aged 51 to 75 who could not hold ten seconds, about seven years. | Araújo 2022 (BJSM) |
| Floor sit and riseLeg strength and hip mobility | Research links a higher score with how long people live. | 6.05Hazard ratioHeart disease mortality, lowest scorers against highest, adults aged 46 to 75. | Araújo 2025 (European Journal of Preventive Cardiology) |
| Push-upsUpper body strength | Research links push-up capacity with heart health in men. | 0.04Incidence rate ratioHeart events over ten years, men managing more than 40 against fewer than 10. Adjusted estimates are nearer 0.1. | Yang 2019 (JAMA Network Open) |
| Waist to heightWhere the body stores fat | Research links a waist above half your height with increased health risk. | 0.5RatioThe NICE threshold: keep your waist to less than half your height. | NICE NG246 |
The figures describe groups of people in each study, not a prediction for any one person.
What each one shows.
- Waist to height. Where your body stores fat. Your waist divided by your height. NICE advises keeping it under 0.5.
- One leg stand. Balance. Stand on one leg for ten seconds, eyes open, then as long as you can with your eyes closed.
- Floor sit and rise. Leg strength and hip mobility. Sit down on the floor and stand up again, using as little support as you can. Scored out of 10.
- Push-ups. Upper body strength. Clean push-ups until your form breaks, from your toes or your knees.
Your numbers, in context.
The Five Minute Baseline takes you through each test, puts every result next to the published average for your age group, and names one thing to work on first. It is scored on your device.
Twenty minutes, with me.
We talk about your week, your health and what you have tried before. If the programme fits you, I will say so. If it does not, I will say that too.