Can a flamingo help your fitness? Actually, no. Can acting like a flamingo help your fitness? Again, no. Can we derive personal information from the flamingo based on their behavior? Yes, indeed.
Many things change as we age, thinning of hair, spotting of skin, how we digest our food or the ease of muscle function. Turns out, the length of time we can stand like a flamingo may also change. Additionally, it can give us clues and details about our fitness and general health.
At Aging with Pizzazz, and particularly at my fitness app PizzazzEE-25, I concentrate on flexibility, stamina and balance. Those 3 elements are integral to quality aging. The more we have of each, the greater our health, fitness and well-being.
The Flamingo Challenge
This quick 1-minute single leg standing test (SLST), often called unipedal stance test in research literature, can give you an idea of how you are progressing. The SLST represents a complex motor task. As such, it can be impaired by, or a clue of, various conditions.
According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, if in mid-to-later life we don’t have the ability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds, it’s linked to almost doubling the risk of death within the next 10 years, FROM ALL CAUSES. The SLST aids in monitoring balance affected by both neurological conditions (such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, peripheral neuropathy and dementia) and musculoskeletal conditions.
The single leg standing test is a valid, gender-independent measure of frailty, ability to live independently, and the chance of risking a fall. Basically, the better balance we have the greater neuromuscular aging status we have.
A lot of research on balance has come out of the NHS (National Health System) in the UK over the past decades. In the US we may be going through a time of reduced, concealed, cherry-picked or unpublished health research findings. It’s good to know we can rely on agencies like the NHS.
Some of their research has demonstrated a sharp drop-off of participants over 65-years old who are able to hold a unipedal stance for more than 2-seconds. Considering what this can indicate, it clearly encourages us to attempt to improve our own balance.
How to Perform the One-Leg Test
The SLST is quick and easy, although a bit of care is necessary. Do it in an open space, with a helper nearby, or back of a chair to hang onto should you lose your balance.
The NHS video below will review directions as well, but mostly it’s here just for the fun of watching.
Directions for Test
- Keep your Eyes Open (see note below video on SLST with closed eyes).
- Stand on one leg without any other support. (No high heels.)
- Keep hands on hips. (This is different than a yoga “tree” stance that changes the balance with overhead arms.)
- Start timing when the foot leaves the ground.
- Stop timing either when the foot is placed back down or when hands fall or are taken off the hips. (If you lose your balance, place foot back down or grip the chair.)
Evaluate Results of Flamingo Challenge
Be aware that this may sound like less time than if feels when doing it. And remember you are allowed to repeat your test on another day. Luckily, we can improve results with enhanced balance. Compare your score below with your age bracket.
| Age | You should be able to stand on 1 leg for: |
| 40-49 | 40 seconds |
| 50-59 | 37 seconds |
| 60-69 | 30 seconds |
| 70-79 | 18 seconds |
| 80+ | 5 seconds |
* Despite what their own video says, the NHS recommends not trying to maintain this pose longer than a minute.
If you find out your score standing on one leg, consider trying it out on the other. They are not always the same, and this can give you some clues about your balance im-balance.
FINAL THOUGHT
After taking this Flamingo Challenge, either bask in your success or determine to improve you score (by improving your balance). I can’t miss saying that PizzazzEE-25 is a good place to start.
Finally, enjoy the NHS video below that shows (unless we have severe restrictions), we can take this challenge at any age. Better yet, we can improve our results at any age.
Note: SLST with eyes closed.
Signals from our eyes help maintain our balance. As such, it makes a single leg stance much more difficult if we close our eyes. I am including recommended results from some research, but with my opinion that I do not think it’s really advisable. !!
| Age | Average hold for age with EYES CLOSED |
| 40-59 | 20-25 seconds |
| 60-69 | 10-15 seconds |
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Resources:
- Araujo CG, De Souza E Silva CG, Laukkanen JA, Singh MF, Kunutsor SK, Myers J, et al. Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals. British Journal of Sports Medicine [Internet]. 2022 Jun 21;56(17):975–80. Epub 2022 Jun 21
- Springer, B. A., Marin, R. H., Cyhan, T., Roberts, H., & Gill, N. W. (2007). Normative Values for the Unipedal Stance Test with Eyes Open and Closed. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, 30(1), 8–15. https://doi.org/10.1519/00139143-200704000-00003
- Vellas BJ, Wayne SJ, Romero L, Baumgartner RN, Rubenstein LZ, Garry PJ. One‐Leg balance is an important predictor of injurious falls in older persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society [Internet]. 1997 Jun 1;45(6):735–8.
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Title picture credit Flamingo Image by jp from Pixabay
