The secret to a long “healthspan”—the years you live in good health—might be revealed by a simple stability test. A prominent cardiologist is pointing to the 10-second, one-legged stand as a critical predictor of not just how long you’ll live, but how well you’ll live.
This insight is supported by a major 2022 study published in a leading British journal. The research tracked 1,700 older adults over ten years and found that the ability to perform this balance test was strongly correlated with living a longer, disability-free life.
The study’s most compelling finding was that individuals who could hold the pose for at least 10 seconds had an over 90% chance of avoiding both death and major disability for the next seven years. This makes it a key indicator of functional, healthy aging.
According to the cardiologist, this is because balance is a holistic measure of health. It requires a symphony of cooperation between your brain, eyes, inner ear, nerves, and muscles. A lack of stability can be the first sign that this symphony is out of tune.
The expert provides age-related benchmarks, from 40 seconds for 50-year-olds to 10 seconds for 70-year-olds. If you fall short, it’s a cue to focus on foundational fitness. She recommends incorporating practices like Tai Chi and yoga to improve your stability and invest in a future filled with more healthy, active years.