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What does it mean to be healthy? Lab work results, body mass index and even the ability to run a mile can offer insight, but with so many measures of well-being, getting a definite answer is complicated.
There are no guarantees — and no one is immune to aging — but many experts agree that one exercise in particular is an excellent indicator of health and longevity. And you can do it from home.
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The exercise is called chair squats or chair rises, with a 30-second evaluation known as the sit-to-stand chair test that measures strength, mobility and power. Like its name implies, this move is all about how quickly you can stand up from sitting down. It’s one that Joseph Hribick, a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy at Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania, uses “very often” with his patients.
“Getting up from a chair may seem like a very simple task, but it actually requires several systems to work together,” Hribick told HuffPost. “You need adequate strength and power in the muscles of your hips and legs, good balance, coordination, joint mobility and enough cardiovascular capacity to repeat this movement several times.”
“Because of that, a chair-rise test can give us a quick snapshot of a person’s overall functional mobility,” he added.
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The sit-to-stand chair test is an indicator of longevity.
The sit-to-stand chair test is useful because of how much it reveals about a person’s health. “It is simple to perform, functional, inexpensive, and has a lot of research behind it,” Hribick said.
This exercise requires a person “to move their own body weight through space and coordinate the motion of their hips, knees, ankles, trunk and balance system,” Hribick said.
And since standing is something we have to do repeatedly every day, this practical exercise has real-world relevance.
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“Chair squats keep the hips, knees and ankles moving through ranges we use every day for walking, stairs and getting up and down,” Hazel Anderson, an associate professor at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, told HuffPost.
“The chair stand isn’t a crystal ball for longevity, but it is a simple window into our functional reserve, alongside things like walking speed, balance and grip strength,” Anderson continued. “The goal isn’t a perfect score; it’s maintaining the strength and movement we need to keep doing the things we love.”
Mobility and power decline with age.
The secret to a long and healthy life is maintaining self-sufficiency, and chair squats can help.
“As we age, we lose about 3 to 5% of muscle mass per year after the age of 40, unless you do something to counteract that,” Dr. Jennifer Timmons, a physician specializing in longevity and founder and medical director of Timmons Wellness, told HuffPost.
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“And this loss of muscle mass leads to a cascade of other problems, including decreased mobility, greater fall risk, and ultimately loss of independence,” Timmons said. “Doing the chair rise test gives us a quick snapshot of overall function and capacity.”
Muscle power — “our ability to generate force quickly” — also declines with age and can affect daily activities like getting up from a chair, climbing stairs, keeping your balance if you trip and more, according to Hribick.
“Research involving more than 11,000 older adults has shown that insufficient sit-to-stand muscle power is associated with mobility limitations and disability with activities of daily living,” he said. “In addition, sit-to-stand power has also been associated with physical independence later in life.”
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Doing exercises that strengthen these muscles is important to continue living an independent life.
This exercise is also linked to cognitive performance.
Older adults who passed the chair-rise test also showed strong cognitive abilities, another important factor for longevity.
“Standing up quickly requires motor planning, coordination, attention, and rapid integration of sensory information,” Hribick explained.
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“Those who stay physically active and maintain better neuromuscular function often maintain better health in several other areas, including cognitive health,” he added.
Here’s how to do the sit-to-stand chair test.
Place a sturdy chair against a wall, then sit down with your feet flat on the ground in front of you and your arms crossed over your chest. Stand up, extending your hips and knees, then sit back down without using your arms to help.
The movement should be controlled enough that the moment you touch the seat, you can immediately stand up again.
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Each time you sit is considered one rep. Repeat to see how many sit-to-stands you can do in 30 seconds. According to the Centers for Disease Control, a man at age 60 should be able to do at least 14 reps, and a woman should complete at least 12.
If you can’t finish the minimum number of reps in the time frame for your age and sex, then additional fall risk assessments may be necessary.
For the exercise version of chair squats (not the test), it’s OK to use your hands, a higher chair or help from a support person nearby. “You can gradually work toward using less assistance as you get stronger,” Anderson said.
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You also don’t have to time yourself and can just do about eight to 12 reps, one to three times.
“The goal with everyday training isn’t to race the clock,” she added. “I’d much rather see safe, controlled and appropriately challenging repetitions, with good control both standing up and sitting back down.”
If you want to make the exercise version more challenging, Hribick recommended rising from a lower surface, increasing the number of reps, or adding some resistance by holding a weight or wearing a weighted vest.
What if you fail the sit-to-stand test?
If you aren’t able to meet the minimum recommendations, it doesn’t mean you are beyond help. “Strength and power remain trainable well into older adulthood,” Hribick said.
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However, if you find yourself struggling to stand up — for example, needing to push off armrests or rock before standing — talk to your healthcare professional. This could be an early sign of declining lower-extremity function, according to Hribick, especially if you also are experiencing falls, dizziness, pain, weakness or difficulty walking.
Practicing chair squats can help strengthen your body and make everyday life easier. Keep in mind, the goal isn’t to pass the sit-to-stand test and then quit; rather, it’s to incorporate chair squats into your full-body workout routine.
“I would think of the chair stand test as a benchmark, not an endpoint,” Timmons explained. “The takeaway here is: Don’t train simply to pass the chair stand test. Train so that being able to stand up from a chair or a toilet remains effortless, so that you can maintain independence as you age.”

A Maryland man claims that a popular weight-loss drug caused his total vision loss, leaving him legally blind.
Todd Engel, 63, was first prescribed Ozempic in 2023 to help manage his diabetes. The GLP-1 medication, which is approved to treat type 2 diabetes, is also commonly prescribed off-label for weight loss.
Approximately four months after starting the medication, Engel was diagnosed with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
The condition, in which reduced blood flow damages the optic nerve, can cause sudden and permanent vision loss.
“I first noticed it on New Year’s Eve, 2024. I had just gotten out of the shower, was getting ready to go to work. And I said to Shelley, ‘I can’t see in my right eye. It’s totally black. It’s totally dark in my right eye,’” Engel told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview.
“I was horrified. I was very, very upset that I couldn’t see.”
Engel was referred for further testing, including at Johns Hopkins’ Wilmer Eye Institute. He was told he had suffered an “eye stroke,” another term used for NAION.
“The blood work came back in the normal range for me. My blood pressure was fine. They said, ‘You can go back to work,’” he said.
Engel continued taking Ozempic because, according to the family’s account, neither he nor his doctors knew of a possible association between semaglutide and NAION.
About 10 months later, vision loss suddenly occurred in his left eye.
“At that point in time, losing sight in both eyes, there was a tremendous amount of concern,” he said.
Doctors told Engel there was no medication or surgical procedure that could restore his vision.
Shelley Engel said that medical testing did not identify another common factor beyond Ozempic. Her husband immediately stopped taking the drug after losing vision in his second eye.
“I didn’t go blind — I had my vision taken from me, which was catastrophic to me and to my family,” he said.
Engel has filed a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk, the Denmark-based manufacturer of Ozempic, alleging that the company failed to adequately warn patients and doctors about the potential risk of vision loss.
He is among hundreds of patients currently pursuing legal action against makers of GLP-1 medications, including Ozempic and Wegovy, over claims that the drugs caused NAION.
The lawsuits allege that manufacturers failed to provide sufficient warnings about the potential risks, although a causal relationship between the medications and the condition has not been definitively established.
Life after vision loss
At the time of his vision loss, Engel was working for Howard County Highways as a heavy equipment operator and truck driver.
He had worked in the field for about 40 years and held a commercial driver’s license for nearly as long.
“I was extremely mechanically inclined with my hands and in my mind. I can’t do that anymore, which is extremely upsetting to me,” he said.
“People want to be able to retire on their own accord when they want to, not when a medical catastrophic injury such as this … takes away your livelihood.”
Beyond losing his career, Engel said even ordinary activities he once took for granted have become difficult.
An avid reader before his vision loss, Engel said he can no longer read newspapers, magazines or books. Inside his home, he has learned to count steps to help navigate familiar spaces.
“I know that coming in from our parking lot, there are 10 steps … nine going down into our basement, 13 going up into our bedroom.”
Engel said he now uses a white cane to navigate outside his home and relies on his family for help with everyday activities. His four grandchildren often guide him during family gatherings.
“They will take me by my hand and talk to me: ‘Pops, three steps straight. Then we’re gonna turn right,’” he said.
“For me personally, it’s embarrassing. I’m 64 years old. I shouldn’t need … my grandchildren or my wife to help me get from point A to point B.”
His wife, Shelley Engel, said her husband’s vision loss has affected the entire family.
“It has completely changed every aspect of our lives,” she said. “There is not one piece of our lives that hasn’t changed or been touched by this throughout our whole family.”
For Engel, some of the most painful losses involve the things he can no longer do with the people closest to him.
“I will never be able to see my wife’s beautiful face again, be able to see children and grandchildren, be able to play ball with them,” he said. “And that is very, very upsetting to me.”
“I wake up in the dark, I go to sleep in the darkness.”
A warning to others
Engel said that if he had been warned about a possible link between Ozempic and vision loss, he would not have taken the drug.
“Had I known, had my doctor had any inkling that this could have happened … I’m sure he would have asked me and I would have said absolutely not,” he said. “I will deal with the diabetes … I refuse to jeopardize my eyes.”
The Engels said they are speaking publicly in hopes of preventing others from experiencing the same outcome.
“Do the research for yourselves to make sure that my catastrophic injuries do not happen to you or anybody else,” Engel said. “If we can help one person, then that’s a pleasure to Shelley and I.”
‘It’s about information’
The family’s attorney, Jonathan Orent, said the legal team is seeking a warning on the US Ozempic label similar to information provided to patients and doctors in Europe.
Orent is co-lead counsel in nationwide litigation involving GLP-1 drugs, including lawsuits alleging vision loss linked to Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound.
“It’s amazing what just a simple warning can do,” he told Fox News Digital. “That’s really what this case is about. It’s about information.”
Company response
Novo Nordisk, the Denmark-based company that makes Ozempic, has disputed that the medication causes NAION, stating that the available evidence does not establish a causal relationship between semaglutide and the eye condition.
“A causal relationship between GLP-1RAs, including semaglutide, and NAION cannot be confirmed based on the totality of data,” Liz Skrbkova, head of US Media and Stakeholder Relations for Novo Nordisk, told Fox News Digital.
The company pointed to an analysis of its randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials that found very few confirmed cases of NAION and no increased incidence among patients taking semaglutide.
Novo said it continues to monitor NAION as part of its routine drug-safety surveillance.
“Novo believes the personal injury lawsuits filed in the US are without merit, and we are defending them in court,” Skrbkova said.

AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) — When Rae Heath stops at a gas station to refuel during long bike rides, she said she always notices the colorful products by the register.
“I walk up to the counter, and I just look at what they have, and I don’t say anything to the guy at the counter,” Heath said.
But Heath actually has a lot to say.
The colorful packages lined up right next to the cash register are the reason her son isn’t coming home.
Heath, a 19-year-old music major at Oklahoma State University with dreams of playing in an orchestra pit, died in April of what federal health officials are calling “gas station heroin.”
“I spoke to him on my birthday,” his mom said. “He just sounded really out of it.”
According to his autopsy, Jonas died of toxicity caused by 7-Hydromitragynine (7-OH), kratom and a derivative of 7-OH.
Kratom is a plant native to Southeast Asia and in small doses can help someone focus, but in large doses can act as a sedative, said Wendell Campbell, a drug intelligence officer at the Houston High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
Trace amounts of 7-OH occur naturally in dried kratom, but now chemical labs are synthetically mass-producing it into concentrated tablets, drinks, and vapes.
The Food and Drug Administration warns that 7-OH is up to 13 times more potent than morphine.
“It’s something that an individual can develop a dependency on pretty quickly,” Campbell said. “When you develop that opioid use disorder or dependency to 7-OH, you just got to have it every day.”
While Narcan, a life-saving medicine known to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses, has been effective for drugs like fentanyl, Campbell said it now takes four to six doses of Narcan to reverse a single 7-OH overdose.
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13 Investigates found kratom and 7-OH-related deaths have increased since the state first started tracking it.
In 2017, the Texas Department of State Health Services recorded 14 fatalities due to kratom and 7-OH.
By 2023, when concentrated 7-OH products flooded the market, state data shows 114 fatalities.
So far this year, from January through the end of August, Texas has already counted 111 kratom- and 7-OH-related deaths.
A graphic released by the FDA explicitly charts 7-OH as the next rising wave in the opioid epidemic after prescription pills, heroin, and more recently, fentanyl.
With 7-OH, the window between first use and death or potential overdose can be quick.
From what Heath has pieced together, she believes her son started taking kratom and progressed to 7-OH less than two months before he died.
“This is not in the same realm of kids that experiment with pot and THC. This is something completely different and much more deadly,” she said.
Heath turned her grief into advocacy and launched the nonprofit 7-OH Truth Project last month to educate others.
She is also talking with Texas lawmakers about a bill to criminalize the drug.
The bill, which she expects to be filed during the upcoming legislative session, would classify kratom extracts and synthetic 7-OH as Schedule I controlled substances, slap manufacturers and unauthorized sellers with felony charges, invoke civil penalties and require mandatory overdose reporting.
“If this saves another 19-year-old boy, another 17-year-old girl from the same fate, then I just think it’s such a meaningful, meaningful thing,” Heath said.
In Texas, products with more than a 2% concentration of 7-OH already violate state law, but weak enforcement has kept the product accessible.
In April, the Texas Attorney General filed a lawsuit against two California-based online kratom retailers for selling products that contain between 86 and 96% of the alkaloid content in 7-OH that is supposed to be capped at two percent.
Other states have proved targeted enforcement works.
California authorities took action last year after Los Angeles County recorded 10 local 7-OH overdose deaths from 2025 to early 2026.
“We were alerted by our medical examiner that we were seeing overdose cases involving 7-OH that seemed to be where 7-OH was the cause of the overdose event, and so we quickly put out health alerts, we made sure the community was aware and then we exercised part of the California law that allowed us to go into facilities and run inspections where we looked for 7-OH in kratom products and directed retailers removed them from shelves,” said Dr. Brian Hurley, interim director and medical director of the Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Hurley said they conducted 5,000 inspections countywide and identified and removed kratom products from nearly 500 locations.
Since that enforcement action started, Hurley said Los Angeles County hasn’t recorded any more 7-OH-related deaths.
“We did see a direct line, or a timing, between when we took these enforcement actions and when we see a drop in 7-OH overdoses, so that would be a lesson I would want other jurisdictions to consider,” Hurley said.
Tragedies tied to 7-OH continue making national headlines.
Famed music producer Tay Keith was found dead in his Nashville apartment in June, according to ABC News. The network reports that, based on his autopsy, he died from a mix of drugs, including 7-OH.
Last month, two University of Mississippi students were found dead on the same day. Federal prosecutors subsequently arrested a local smoke shop owner and his son for allegedly supplying the students with the drug.
The arrests show a level of accountability that Heath wants enacted in Texas law.
A bill was proposed in the Texas Senate during the last legislative session in 2025 with similar goals related to kratom and 7-OH, but it didn’t pass.
When it comes to tackling addictive drugs in the community, Mike McDaniel, executive director of the Houston High Intensity Drug Tracking Area, said law enforcement officials can’t do it alone.
He said whether it’s on the federal level or the state level, he’s optimistic there will be some positive changes soon when it comes to addressing this wave of 7-OH deaths.
“That’s why we’re partnering with treatment addiction professionals, the (Medical Examiner’s) office,” McDaniel said. “What I could assure you about Houston, Texas, and our region is that we are very unified in our approach.”
This week, the U.S. Department of Justice has already filed an emergency action and notice of intent to make 7-OH a Schedule I drug, which would put it in the same classification as drugs like heroin and LSD.
Lawmakers can start filing bills in November for next year’s session, and Heath plans to be at the Capitol to fight for Jonas’s Law.
“I would do anything to have Jonas back, bar none, of course, but if this law gets passed and this stuff is banned, at least his life will have done something good for others,” Heath said.
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BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. — Bird flu caused the death of a bald eagle named Jackie who had become an internet sensation and a symbol of the species’ recovery in California, officials said.
A necropsy and additional testing found that the primary underlying cause of Jackie’s death in August was highly pathogenic avian influenza, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said Wednesday in a news release.
In the weeks before she died, Jackie was being treated at the Ojai Raptor Center for various ailments, including anemia. Chris Eksteen, the center’s director, said in the news release that the necropsy results “have helped connect many of the findings” they saw during her hospitalization.
“In an uncommon presentation of the virus, the infection caused a severe ulcer in her stomach that led to persistent internal bleeding, anemia, and the development of bacterial sepsis,” Steve Kubiski, the disease investigations director at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, where the necropsy was conducted, said in the news release.
For more than a decade, nature lovers watched via an online video feed as Jackie and her partner, Shadow, tended to their nest each year atop trees near Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. There’s no evidence Shadow is ill, according to the news release.
The nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley installed the nest camera in 2015 and documented the successes and failures of each breeding season.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been circulating in bird populations throughout the U.S. While waterfowl and shorebirds are natural hosts for bird flu viruses, eagles and other raptors can be exposed through contact with infected birds or by eating them, according to the news release.
Jackie’s remains were cremated to prevent transmission of the virus, it said.
American bald eagles teetered on the brink of extinction until the pesticide DDT was banned in the 1970s and other protections were established, leading the species to rebound and be removed from the federal endangered list.

Drugmakers are betting big that a new way of trashing bad proteins inside cells could reshape treatment for cancer and other diseases. The “protein degrader” drugs don’t just block troublesome proteins, the Wall Street Journal reports; they tag them for destruction using the cell’s own waste-disposal system, potentially reaching targets that have long eluded conventional medicines.
The FDA has cleared a few of these drugs, including Pfizer’s breast-cancer therapy Veppanu and Bristol Myers Squibb’s multiple myeloma drug Zenbexus, even as questions remain about how broadly they work and whether they might also knock out healthy proteins. Roughly 200 degraders are now in development worldwide, with more than $5 billion in deals reached since 2021, as companies test them in cancers, autoimmune diseases, and conditions including Parkinson’s.
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