Support Healthy Aging By Maintaining Balance — On One Leg

Photo by Yayan Sopian on Unsplash

A recent study by the Mayo Clinic measured what physical factors tend to decline most quickly in people over 50 — and the majority of these were related to strength and balance. So, it stands to reason (pun intended), that maintaining physical health in these arenas could help when it comes to healthy aging.

Led by Drs. Kenton Kaufman and Asghar Rezaei, the study assessed the balance, gait and strength of healthy people ages 50 and older. Half were between ages 50 and 64; the other half, older than age 65. Half the participants were male, half female.

In all participants, regardless of gender, grip strength (in the dominant hand) diminished by 3.7% with each decade of age, while knee strength declined by 1.4%. The most notable change, though, was in balance. Interestingly, the ability to stand on the non-dominant leg (with eyes open) for over 30 seconds took the biggest tumble, decreasing by 21% for each decade of age, while standing on the dominant leg dropped by 17%.

The team also measured balance when standing on both feet, with eyes both open and closed. Participants of greater age were measured to sway or move more. Movements with eyes closed increased by 10.4% with each decade, while with eyes open, movements ticked upward at 6.3%. Gait measurements including stride length and walking speed did not indicate notable declines.

Photo by Chelsea Gates on Unsplash

What’s significant about the balance indicators, according to Dr. Kaufman, is that “[if] you have poor balance, you’re at risk of falling, whether or not you’re moving.” He continues, “Falls are a severe health risk with serious consequences.” However, our aging trajectory isn’t a predetermined path. We can promote healthy aging by incorporating movement and exercise that supports balance and strength, and these days, the barrier to entry is arguably lower than ever; nearly any exercise routine desired, including loads of videos on balance workouts geared toward seniors, can be found on YouTube. And indeed, that’s sort of the point of this study. Says Kaufman, “If you don’t use it, you lose it. If you use it, you maintain it.”

This research suggests that measuring how long someone can stand on their non-dominant leg could be a relatively easy and reliable indicator of health among people who are aging. Further, the findings could lead to creating evidence-based courses of exercise and movement that are designed to help aging people avoid or delay disability and physical decline.

It may seem unusual, but today is probably a good day to hop into tree pose, or get things gently started by simply standing and shifting your weight from one foot to the other.