Can you do this? Your life might depend on it...
/I came across an interesting study recently on balance. Not about having more balance in your life, rather the standing on one leg kind of balance. A quote from the study is as follows:
“For someone aged 51-75 years, the risk of dying is – on average – higher if unable to complete a 10 second one-legged stand, than if that person has coronary artery disease, obesity, arterial hypertension, or high blood cholesterol”.
So of course the first thing I did before reading any further was to see how long I could balance on each foot! Fortunately, I passed the 10 second mark. BUT, after doing a bit more research, I came across the following:
"A good test of your balance is to see how long you can stand on one leg, first with your eyes open and then closed. Take your shoes off, put your hands on your hips, and stand on one leg. See how long you last. The test is over as soon as you shift your planted foot, or you put your raised food back on the ground. Best of three. Then repeat with your eyes closed. You will be dismayed by how quickly you start to fall over. Here are the targets that different age groups should be able to manage." Dr. Michael Mosley
Under 40: 45 seconds with eyes open and 15 seconds with eyes closed
Aged 40-49: 42 seconds eyes open and 13 seconds eyes closed
Aged 50-59: 41 seconds eyes open and 8 seconds eyes closed
Aged 60-69: 32 seconds eyes open and 4 seconds eyes closed
Aged 70-79: 22 seconds eyes open and 3 seconds eyes closed
So of course my challenge now was to BEAT my age group (yes I’m a little competitive), although I think I may have fallen short with the eyes closed part. I'm not sure hopping around with my eyes closed counts. Need some practice.
Anyway, I digress. And I’m also making light of something that is deadly serious – the importance of balance.
This study, by Dr. Claudio Gil Araujo and colleagues, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2022, found that being able to complete a ten second one-legged stance test was linked with lower risk of all-cause mortality.
The objective of the study was based on the fact that balance quickly diminishes after our mid-50s (doubling every 5 years from the age of 55), increasing the risk for falls and other adverse health outcomes.
Having good balance is a powerful predictor of how long and how healthily (yes, it's a word!) we will live.
So much depends on our balance
Many of us don’t appreciate where balance comes into play in our every day lives. There are so many things we simply take for granted. Like getting up and down off the floor with ease; reaching to get something from an upper cupboard; walking up and down stairs or hills.
Even walking in general, where we spend 40% of our time on one leg. Stepping off a curb, getting out of a chair, catching ourselves before slipping on the ice - all these seemingly innocuous things that depend on our ability to balance.
How do we improve our balance?
When we talk stability or balance, one of the key things we have to talk about is our muscle strength. It’s our muscles that allow us to perform most movements and mobilize our body, and also to maintain balance and posture.
And as we know, our muscle mass decreases with age, with our strength decreasing in parallel. Between the ages of 25 and 50 years old, we lose 3 - 8% of muscle mass per decade. That’s huge. The good news is that this can be offset by strength/resistance training.
Strength training isn’t as intimidating as it sounds – it doesn't have to mean crazy heavy weights in a sweaty gym. In fact here is a very easy “at home, no equipment, strength training, beginner” routine. There are also some balance elements in it as well.
The other bonus of strength training? It’s great for our bones (which I wrote about here), so if we do have a fall, we will have stronger bones and therefore hopefully a more positive outcome.
Other things to incorporate on a daily basis to help with balance?
Stand on one foot while brushing your teeth, with your grounded leg slightly bent at the knee. And if you want to really challenge yourself, put your non-toothbrush hand out in front of you with your thumb pointed up, and move it from side to side, following its path with your eyes/head.
Practice putting your socks and shoes on while balancing on the opposite leg (that includes bending down on one leg, after your sock is on, to pick up your shoe)
Single leg dead lifts (no weight necessary) while you are waiting for your coffee to brew
Practice getting up and down off the floor, initially using hands but ultimately, if you can do it, with no hands. Either way, it takes strength. This is a great video that walks through the many different variations. I know this sounds so basic, and yet I know a lot of people that struggle with it. Part of the problem is we get lazy and end up always using something to help us get up. And in the long term this is not good – if you don’t use it you lose it.
Other suggestions – I strongly encourage you to work on these if you are at all concerned about your balance. It’s never too early (or late) to start.
Back to the study…
Based on the conclusions of the study, the authors felt that this 10s one-legged stand test could potentially be used by physicians as part of their general checkup for their middle aged and older patients.
I couldn’t agree more.
Balance, and therefore strength, is so critical as we get older. The majority of people over 75/80 years old are severely limited in the activities they do because of lack of strength and balance.
Don’t wait “until your older”
If we don’t do any sort of training/practicing now, our rate of decline could be staggering. And as I’ve mentioned in a previous newsletter on osteoporosis, if one is 70 years old and they break their hip from a fall (due to poor balance), 10% will be dead in three years. For those over 80 years old, the mortality rate is close to 33% within a year.
Sobering statistics. So start now.
Thanks for reading :)
Gillian x
PS – If you know of someone who might be interested in this newsletter, feel free to forward. As well, lots of Walk & Talk spring action, so reach out if you are interested in a Wellness Reset. Happy Spring!