Everyday life is the most honest fitness trainer. Not an Instagram filter, no beautiful talk-only you, your health and the next movement you can do (or not). One of these small but meaningful everyday tests is the “Timed Up and Go” test-in short: Tug. Sounds harmless, but it is not. Because this 10-second check tells you how fit you really are. And he can save lives.
As a former competitive athlete, officer and today’s consultant, I saw many tests of top athletes and elite units. But hardly anyone is as simple – and at the same time as exposed – as this. And best of all: you do not need any devices or a gym. Just a chair, three meters of space and some courage to truth.
Introduction to the Tug test
The “Timed Up and Go” test originally comes from geriatrics. It was developed to assess the risk of falling in the elderly – an apparently far away topic for people in their thirties or forty. Or? Not quite. Studies show that this test is also an early warning system for younger people.
Because: mobility, response time, strength and coordination can be reliably evaluated – and train in medium years.
This is how the TUG test goes:
- Sit on a stable chair.
- Get up.
- Go straight three meters.
- Turn around.
- Go back and sit down again. Stop time – done.
Interpretation of the results
- <10 seconds:Congratulations! You are everyday fit and have good functional mobility.
- 10–14 seconds:Still in the green area – but some training could do good.
- > 14 seconds:Danger. The risk of falls or restrictions increases. Time to become active.
Of course, a single test is not a complete health check. But the TUG test is a damn good start. Because he shows mercilessly what we often displace: mobility is not a matter of course – it is a gift that wants to be maintained.
What does that have to do with you – and with me?
I get up every morning at 4 a.m. because I have learned how precious this daily hour of movement, silence and prayer is. I don’t train for the mirror – I train for life. For the fact that I can wear my children, accompany my wife while hiking or physically and mentally encounter a client in coaching at eye level.
Fitness is not a vanity for me. She is responsibility. God gave us a body – not as a decoration, but as a tool. And as with every tool, dealing with the effect.
About the expert
Michel the same
Michel the same
Michel the same
Michèl the same
Dr. Michèl combines his expertise from sports, military and leadership to inspire people worldwide. As a sports scientist, former elite infantry and leadership expert, he helps to achieve physical and mental top performance. His Christian belief and values such as discipline, respect and team spirit are the core of his work.Dr. Sameaccompanies his clients on the way to personal excellence and sustainable development.
The importance of coordination and mobility
I learned as a soldier: speed without coordination does nothing. And stability without mobility makes immobile – in the truest sense of the word. The TUG test combines exactly this elements: mobility, balance, leg power and speed of reaction. And that’s exactly why I use it in my coaching with young managers. If you sweat in 10 seconds, you should ask: How good is my foundation – physically, mentally, spiritual?
Because if you want to lead outside, you have to be stable inside. It starts with a clear view of your own constitution.
What can you do if the TUG test is not good?
No panic. No reason for self -allegations. But maybe an occasion for change. Here are five tips on how you can specifically improve your “everyday fitness”:
- Integrate movement into everyday life: Stairs instead of elevator. Stand instead of sitting. Small things, great effect.
- Start functional training: Kniebugen, lounge steps, balance exercises-preferably barefoot or on unstable surface.
- Train regular mobility: 10 minutes a day. Focus: hip, ankles, thoracic spine.
- Create mental clarity: Meditation, prayer, breathing exercises – the mind controls the body.
- Set realistic goals: Don’t want to be perfect. But stay tuned. Step by step.
My personal conclusion
When I watch my children in the race, I know: Mobility is pure joie de vivre. And I want you to experience me as a movable, strong father in 20 years. The Tug test reminds me that fitness does not have to be loud-but is always honest.
This small test is more than just a movement game. He is a mirror. And sometimes we need this mirror to recognize what really matters: a healthy, functioning body. A awake spirit. A serving heart.
This article comes from the Experts Circle – a network of selected experts with well -founded knowledge and many years of experience. The content is based on individual assessments and are based on the current state of science and practice.
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