A 10-Second Single-Leg Stand Test Can Reveal Your Longevity Potential

This article is for health education purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a professional doctor if you have any health concerns.

10 seconds, standing on one leg—have you tried it?

About 1 in 5 adults aged 51-75 can't do it[[1]]. And over 7 years of follow-up: those who couldn't had a mortality rate of 17.5%, while those who could had only 4.6%[[1]].

Balance and leg strength are indicators of how fast your body is "aging": older adults with poor lower-limb function have more than 3 times the all-cause mortality risk compared to those with good function[[2]]; those with greater muscle strength have about a 31% lower risk[[3]].

The good news is that it can be trained back: wall sits for 30-60 seconds each time, 2-3 sets per day; single-leg stands while holding a wall for 30 seconds each time. Strength plus balance training 2-3 times a week is the longevity prescription recommended by WHO[[4]].

You can test it right now: take off your shoes, stand on one leg, and time 10 seconds.

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References

Araujo CG, et al. Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals. Br J Sports Med. 2022;56(17):975-980. PMID: 35728834
Pavasini R, et al. Short Physical Performance Battery and all-cause mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Med. 2016;14(1):215. PMID: 28003033
García-Hermoso A, et al. Muscular Strength as a Predictor of All-Cause Mortality in an Apparently Healthy Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Data From Approximately 2 Million Men and Women. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018;99(10):2100-2113. PMID: 29425700
World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Geneva: WHO; 2020.

Disclaimer: This article is for health education purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a professional doctor if you have any health concerns. Individual differences exist; please tailor any specific training plan to your own circumstances.

Conflict of Interest Statement: The content of this article represents the author's views only and has no conflict of interest with any commercial organization.

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