New research shows that the length of time someone can stand on one leg is one of the best ways of measuring how they’re ageing, because good balance and muscle strength really matter when it comes to staying healthy as time goes on. One of the researchers said, ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it. [Standing on one leg] is easy to do, doesn’t require special equipment, and you can do it every day.’
It’s not just old people who need this skill, either – the biggest cause of accidental deaths worldwide, after car crashes, is falls, which is basically a failure of balance. Plus, another decadelong study involving more than 1,700 people, asked volunteers to stand on one leg with their other leg pressed against it, arms by…