@climateguy "... The guy brings his mother in. The doc performs the surgery."

Good story. He's measuring genetics (or longevity). I missed his ultimatum by one year: My mother died one year before my surgery (at 103).

Not only (at 81) can I get off the floor without using any nearby support, I can do it without any use of my hands (eg, to simulate a fall resulting in two broken arms). It's not a trick:

1. Start with laying on the floor with your hands clasped in front of you.
2. Sit up. Then bend your lower legs (both to the left or right) to get them as close to your body as is comfortable.
3. Then position your knees AS FAR AS POSSIBLE from each other (THIS IS THE KEY). The imaginary line that connects your two knees becomes the pivot edge for the next two maneuvers.
4. Bend your lower legs some more to get your feet on the same side of the pivot line as your butt is & as close to your butt as is practical.
5. You then rock your upper body back & forth toward the pivot line. Your objective is to rock forward far enough that your butt comes off the ground & your center of gravity passes over the pivot line.
6. AS SOON AS your butt comes off the ground & your center of gravity passes over the pivot line, you must quickly relax your rocking motion & assume an upright kneeling position. Your feet will now be where your butt was, & you should be in a stable kneeling position.
7. You then stand up from a kneeling position. This the only part that requires any strength.

With a little practice, you can show off in front of a great many people younger than you who can't do it. It is a useful emergency maneuver.