Simple 10-second exercise test could predict if you’ll die early or outlive your peers

People who can balance on one leg for 10 seconds may live longer than their peers, experts say.

Individuals lose muscle mass as they age, at a rate of about one to two percent a year beginning in their early 30s. By the time someone is 80 years old, they have about half as much muscle as they did in their 40s.

This decline raises the risk of accidents such as falls, the leading cause of injury for adults over 65 years old in the US, and behind about 41,400 deaths annually.

Experts say the balance test can reveal whether someone has lost a significant amount of muscle and are, therefore, at a higher risk of suffering from a potentially fatal fall.

Ali Ghavami, a personal trainer in New Jersey, told DailyMail.com: ‘Just one fall could be catastrophic for an older adult and could set someone back years. It can be just a slippery slope downhill from there.’

Experts say that to do the test, people should stand with one leg tucked behind the other with their arms by their sides. It’s also possible to do it with one leg raised in front of them to hip height.

It is best to do the test with a support in front, such as a handle or railing, in order to quickly catch yourself if you fall.

Ghavami said those who struggle with the test should consider strength training, which can boost muscle mass and help an older adult to avoid a fall. 

Experts say being unable to do the 10-second balance test could reveal a higher risk of falls (stock photo)

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Ghavami said: ‘With the balance test, it is a good idea to try it while having something nearby to hold yourself, such as a handle or railing.

‘Try to work up to 10 seconds, and then probably do about 20 seconds cumulatively, so 10 seconds broken into two parts.’

He said repeating the test over several days to get a better result would not boost muscle mass, with the result only being improved because of experience. 

Muscle loss happens naturally in old age because of drops in hormone levels, reduced levels of physical activity and consumption of less protein.

About 10 percent of older adults in the US have sarcopenia, or a low level of muscle mass and poor grip strength compared to the healthy ranges for their age group.

The best way to prevent the decline is strength training, lifting weights or using body weight to exercise. 

The balance test is a good indicator of muscle mass because to stand on one leg requires a coordinated and sustained effort from muscles in the core, legs and ankles. 

Being unable to do the test suggests weakness in at least one of these areas.

The above graph is from the 2023 study and shows the probability of survival over seven years between those who could complete the 10-second balance test (blue) and could not (red)

A 2023 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggested that people who could do the balance test lived years longer than people who fell out of balance sooner than 10 seconds.

In the paper, researchers from Brazil asked 1,700 people in their 50s to 70s to complete the test and then tracked the participants for seven years.

Those who fell during the test were 84 percent more likely to die during that period compared to their peers, they found.

Of the participants, about 350, or one in five, could not do the test successfully.

Among those aged 51 to 55 years old, this accounted for only five percent of participants. But among adults aged 70 or older, it was more than half, at 53 percent.

Ghavami said that with older adults he focuses on building muscle in the ankles and calves to help them avoid falling.

Exercises he recommends include calf raises, or raising the heels off the ground and lowering them back down, and one-leg raises, or raising a leg off the ground and lowering it back down.

Nicole Glor, a fitness instructor at NikkiFitness, told Prevention that there were a number of other exercises that older adults could try to test their balance.

These included a lateral thigh lift, which is similar to the 10-second test, that involves straightening one leg and extending it out to the side.

She also suggested a single-leg squat, or lifting one leg to hip level, pointing the toes down, and slowly bending the standing leg until the toes touch the ground.