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<rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Tortoise Time article library</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn</link><description>Published article titles, descriptions and links. Publication dates are omitted when no exact date is established.</description><language>en</language><item><title>Can you get down to the floor and back up without your hands?</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/sitting-rising-test</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/sitting-rising-test</guid><description>The sitting-rising test checks strength, balance and flexibility in one move. A 2025 study found it predicted survival over 12 years.</description></item><item><title>Can you stand on one leg for 10 seconds?</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/ten-second-balance-test</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/ten-second-balance-test</guid><description>A simple balance test turns out to say a lot about health after 50, and balance is one of the easiest abilities to train.</description></item><item><title>Cardiovascular fitness, by the numbers</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/cardiovascular-fitness-by-the-numbers</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/cardiovascular-fitness-by-the-numbers</guid><description>What large fitness studies, a walking trial and activity guidelines actually tell us about aerobic capacity.</description></item><item><title>Exercise and cancer: 13 cancers linked to lower risk</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/exercise-and-cancer-risk</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/exercise-and-cancer-risk</guid><description>In 1.44 million adults, the most active people had lower risk of 13 different cancers. Here’s the full list, and the two surprises.</description></item><item><title>Fit and heavier, or thin and unfit? What matters more for long life</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/fitness-versus-weight</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/fitness-versus-weight</guid><description>A 2024 review of nearly 400,000 people found that fitness predicted survival far better than body weight. Here’s what that means for you.</description></item><item><title>Fitness and strength: the two vital signs most checkups miss</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/fitness-and-strength-vital-signs</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/fitness-and-strength-vital-signs</guid><description>Your blood pressure gets checked at every visit. Two of the strongest signals of how well you will age usually do not. Here is what the research shows, in plain language.</description></item><item><title>Frailty is not inevitable: what a major European trial found</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/frailty-is-not-inevitable</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/frailty-is-not-inevitable</guid><description>In the SPRINTT trial, older adults with weak muscles who exercised regularly were less likely to lose the ability to walk. Here’s what the program looked like.</description></item><item><title>Grip strength: a two-minute window into how you are ageing</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/grip-strength-window-into-ageing</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/grip-strength-window-into-ageing</guid><description>Why a simple squeeze test predicts so much, what the numbers mean, and what actually improves them.</description></item><item><title>Healthspan: adding life to your years, not just years to your life</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/healthspan-not-just-lifespan</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/healthspan-not-just-lifespan</guid><description>Americans now spend an average of 12.4 years in poor health at the end of life. Five everyday habits are linked with a decade or more of extra healthy years.</description></item><item><title>How many steps a day do you really need?</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/how-many-steps-a-day</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/how-many-steps-a-day</guid><description>Forget the magic 10,000. The largest study of step counts yet points to a friendlier target, and shows that every extra thousand steps helps.</description></item><item><title>How to read a health headline (without a PhD)</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/how-to-read-a-health-headline</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/how-to-read-a-health-headline</guid><description>“Walking cuts your risk of death in half!” Here is how to tell what a study really shows, using real examples from exercise science.</description></item><item><title>Never too late, never too short: the new science of staying active</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/never-too-late-never-too-short</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/never-too-late-never-too-short</guid><description>Started late? Only have a minute? Squeeze it all into the weekend? The latest research says all of it counts.</description></item><item><title>Protein and muscle: what older adults need to know</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/protein-and-muscle</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/protein-and-muscle</guid><description>Strength training builds muscle, but muscle needs building blocks. Here’s how much protein the research suggests, and why it matters more as we age.</description></item><item><title>Strength training: the hour a week that pays off</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/strength-training-sweet-spot</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/strength-training-sweet-spot</guid><description>You don’t need to live at the gym. Research suggests 30 to 60 minutes of muscle-strengthening a week brings most of the benefit, and it works at any age.</description></item><item><title>The after-dinner stroll: small walks, big effect on blood sugar</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/walk-after-meals</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/walk-after-meals</guid><description>A few minutes of light walking after eating blunts the spike in blood sugar. It may be the easiest healthy habit there is.</description></item><item><title>The wall sit: blood pressure’s surprise champion</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/wall-sits-and-blood-pressure</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/wall-sits-and-blood-pressure</guid><description>A review of 270 trials found that ‘holding still’ exercises like the wall sit lowered blood pressure more than any other type of exercise.</description></item><item><title>VO₂ max, explained without the hype</title><link>https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/vo2-max-explained</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/vo2-max-explained</guid><description>What VO₂ max measures, why it is linked with longevity, and how ordinary walking can move it.</description></item></channel></rss>
