The sit-to-stand test takes just 30 seconds to complete, but its results can provide profound insights into your health.

Getting out of a chair may seem too trivial a task to pay much attention to, but your ability to do so actually reveals a great deal about your health. To assess this, doctors use the sit-to-stand test (STS), which measures how many times you can rise to a standing position from seated within 30 seconds. It's commonly performed in GP surgeries, or community settings when screening for health issues amongst older people, but it can also easily be performed at home.

"It's a really helpful test, because it tells us so much about how well people are functioning," says Jugdeep Dhesi, a consultant geriatrician at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London and professor of geriatric medicine at Kings College London, in the UK. "It tells us about their strength, their balance and their flexibility. We know that there's some studies that suggest that it can help to inform whether people are at risk of things like falls, cardiovascular issues or even at a higher risk of dying."

All you need to do the test at home is a chair with a straight back and no arm rests, and a stopwatch or timer (most modern phones have this function).

To do the test, simply sit in the middle of the chair, cross your arms and place both of your hands on opposing shoulders. Keep your back straight with your feet on the floor. Then press your stopwatch's start button and rise to a full standing position before sitting down again. Repeat this for 30 seconds, counting how many times you can come to a full standing position.

While the test is primarily used in older adults over the age of 60, it has also been used in those who are younger.

The US public health agency the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has outlined the average results for different age groups. Scores which are below the average could indicate a risk for poor health outcomes, such as falls. For example, for a person aged between 60-64, the average is 14 for a man, and 12 for a woman. If you are aged 85-89, however, the average score is eight. However, these average scores do not take into account a person's medical history – for example if they have recently undergone surgery or have an injury.

The test can also be beneficial for younger people or those with no health conditions, as it is a good measure of fitness, particularly lower body muscular strength and endurance. Researchers in Switzerland asked almost 7,000 adults to do the STS test and then compared the results. They found that the average score for 20–24-year-olds was 50/minute for men and 47/minute for women. Some of those taking part, however, were able to perform as many as........

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