It might seem like a harmless party trick or a childhood game, but balancing on one leg for just ten seconds could reveal far more about your health than you’d expect. The ability to stand on one foot comes naturally in youth and actually peaks in a person’s late thirties. After the age of fifty, however, that same skill begins to fade, and how quickly it fades may say a great deal about your overall well-being. What researchers have recently found about this simple test has prompted a serious conversation in the medical community about aging and longevity.
A recent study delivered a striking finding: older individuals who are unable to hold their balance on one leg for ten seconds face a significantly higher risk of dying within the following seven years. Australian physiotherapist David Peirce explained the data in plain terms, stating that “people who could not stand on one leg had an 84 percent greater chance of dying from any cause in the next seven years.” That figure alone is enough to make most people want to kick off their shoes and start testing themselves immediately. The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, drew attention worldwide for putting a spotlight on something most people never think twice about.
Peirce was careful to clarify, however, that failing this balance test does not mean you are on a countdown clock. The inability to balance is a correlation, not a cause of early death, meaning the test serves as a broader indicator of your body’s overall condition rather than a direct threat. In other words, the real concern is what poor balance often signals underneath the surface. It reflects how well several critical systems in the body are working together as a person ages.
“Your balance is a product of your visual system, the vestibular system in your ear, and the proprioceptive system, which sends messages back to the brain,” Peirce explained. “If your balance is good, it means those systems are likely working well.” When balance deteriorates, it often points to dysfunction across those interconnected systems, which is why doctors use this test as a meaningful snapshot of health in older patients. Good balance is essentially a sign that your muscles, nerves, and brain are still communicating effectively.
One of the key underlying concerns linked to poor balance is sarcopenia, the progressive loss of muscle tissue that naturally accompanies aging. Physicians frequently use the one-leg balance test as a rough measure of how significantly sarcopenia may have progressed in a patient. When muscle mass declines, the body loses the strength and coordination needed to stabilize itself, which is reflected in a person’s ability to stand steady on one foot. This connection between muscle health and balance is one of the main reasons the test carries such predictive weight in longevity research.
The encouraging part of all this is that balance can genuinely be improved with the right effort. Peirce points out that the human brain is neuroplastic, meaning it remains capable of learning and adapting even later in life. He recommends a broad range of strengthening exercises, including cardio, weight training, and bodyweight movements, to build the foundation needed for better stability. Incorporating movements that specifically challenge balance is also key to making real progress.
Some of the most effective exercises for improving balance include what are called “clock steps,” where you balance on one leg and tap imaginary points around you like numbers on a clock face with your other foot. The tandem stance is another useful drill, where you place one foot directly in front of the other heel-to-toe and hold the position. You can also simply practice standing on one leg with your eyes open, then progress to doing it with your eyes closed, gradually working up from ten to thirty seconds. For an added challenge, try catching and throwing a ball while balancing on a single leg, which forces your brain to multitask while maintaining stability.
The benefits of improving balance extend well beyond the test itself. Stronger muscles help fight the effects of sarcopenia, and Peirce notes that “we can dramatically reduce the loss of muscle and its effects on health with two workouts per week that include simple weight lifting or similar activity.” Better balance also significantly reduces the risk of falls, which are a leading cause of serious injury among older adults. Even the act of practicing balance exercises stimulates the brain’s center for spatial orientation and strengthens the network of nerves responsible for stabilization throughout the body.
From a broader scientific perspective, balance research is part of a growing field studying the physical markers of biological aging. Unlike chronological age, which simply measures how many years you have lived, biological age reflects how well your body is actually functioning. Researchers have long sought simple, low-cost tests that can predict health outcomes without expensive equipment, and the one-leg balance test has emerged as one of the most accessible and telling among them. Studies in gerontology have consistently shown that physical function measures, including grip strength, walking speed, and balance, are among the strongest predictors of longevity and quality of life in older populations.
If this has made you curious about where you stand, literally, share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
