It is often said that being able to balance confidently on one leg is a good test of health.
In fact, research has found that those who can’t do it for more than ten seconds could have a much higher risk of dying within ten years.
But now NHS scientists believe they have discovered the optimal time when each age group should be able to stand.
Balancing on one leg continuously for more than 40 seconds is a key sign of strength and mobility among people ages 18 to 39, they insist.
In contrast, those aged between 70 and 79 should achieve between 18 and 19 seconds.
The reason standing on one leg is an indicator of physical fitness is because It uses many different parts of the brain and body at once.
It tests balance and strength, and these two things are lost the more frail a person becomes, making them more prone to bone-shattering falls.
According to the NHS test, those attempting the test should try to stand on one leg with their hands on their hips.
Balancing on one leg continuously for more than 40 seconds is a key sign of strength and mobility among people aged 18 to 39, according to the health service.
Keeping your eyes open, the stopwatch It begins as soon as the foot leaves the ground.
It stops when you lower your foot or remove your hands from your hips.
People aged 18 to 39 should manage 43 seconds, according to the NHS, and 40 seconds if you’re aged 40 to 49.
For people aged 50 to 59, the figure is 37 seconds and 30 for those aged 60 to 69.
Between 70 and 79, this drops to between 18 and 19 seconds and a little more than five seconds if you are over 80 years old.
Selina Lim, divisional director of integrated pathways at NHS East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We know that people who struggle to maintain balance for as long as expected are at greater risk of developing health problems as they age. “. .
‘By participating in the ‘flamenco challenge’, people can quickly and easily assess for themselves whether they are at risk.
“If so, there are many different activities you can do that can help improve your overall fitness.”
It is often said that being able to balance safely on one leg is a good test for health, and not just for flamingos.
In 2019, beloved TV diet guru and Daily Mail columnist the late Dr. Michael Mosley advocated practicing balancing on one leg. Mosley noted that if you can do it for ten seconds with your eyes closed, you should be in good health, regardless of your age.
According to a 2022 observational study, not being able to stand on one leg for 10 seconds in middle or old age is linked to a nearly doubling of the risk of death from any cause over the next 10 years.
writing in the British Journal of Sports MedicineResearchers who conducted the study over 12 years in Brazil stated that the test “provides rapid and objective feedback to the patient and healthcare professionals about static balance.”
It also “adds useful information about mortality risk in middle-aged and older men and women.”
Research has long suggested that, unlike aerobic fitness, muscle strength and flexibility, balance tends to remain reasonably well until people reach age 60, after which it deteriorates.
However, balance checks are not routinely included in health checks for older people, as a standardized test to measure it is lacking.
There is also limited data on how balance is related to health, other than an increased likelihood of falls.
In 2019, beloved TV diet guru and Daily Mail columnist the late Dr. Michael Mosley advocated practicing balancing on one leg.
Mosley noted that if you can do it for ten seconds with your eyes closed, you should be in good health, regardless of your age.
Last week, researchers at the US-based Mayo Clinic also found that the amount of time you can balance on one foot indicates how strong your bones, muscles and nerves are. With each decade of age, the amount of time someone could stand on their non-dominant leg decreased by 2.2 seconds.
So if a 50 year old could balance for 15 seconds, a 60 year old could balance for 12.8.
For the dominant leg, the amount of time they could endure decreased by 1.7 seconds per decade.
The researchers said this test could be implemented in doctors’ offices as an inexpensive, low-tech way to assess bone strength and aging.
