Standing on one leg may predict early death.

imalone

Sambostar said:

Grunfield you just made me feel crap mate.  Straight off the bat 30 seconds is normal?  Does a hard day's graft, when  your muscles are aching and taught have any bearing on the results?  I always knew I had the mind of a 130 year old grumpy git, but not the body?  I'm up and down scaffold everyday, eight pack, not any fat on me and I'm over average BMI. So despite this, you are saying if a gust of wind comes, I will just blow over?  I find this really, really depressing!  I get tinnitus in my right ear (Hereditary) would this have an effect when standing on my right leg?  I'm becoming a bit obsessed with this, as I think this mystic core strength nonsense I lack.

I have never managed 28 seconds, even as a gangly teen with big legs.  I'm 6'2" and filled out now but still top heavy I guess.

I feel so sad....especially given that you actually KNOW what the hell you are on about.

But exercise, I do exercise everyday mate, I'm a landscaper.

Being taller is a disadvantage, as is being tired. But if you think that's hard try this one: stand on one leg with your eyes closed, wave the other one wildly out to the side. A ten year old child can do this for ages without falling over. One of my kung fu teachers introduced me to that one quite a while ago with the suggestion it's a proxy for biological age.
Eyes open I'm rock solid on one leg, eyes closed I can feel all the tiny adjustments I'm making to stay balanced (made a bit over 30s having not done it for a while, but practice can bring it up), it's less a core strength issue than all the systems that make up your body's sense of itself in space. Your inner ear is affected by issues like tinnitus, but even that balance sense (which is quite good) is not so helpful when balancing like this, because it's less tilting and more side-to-side motion and small sensations in the legs and feet. There's also the speed with which your nervous system can respond to that input. Proprioception is the word: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprioception you can certainly train this, though I'd bet benefits to health would come from the actual training and exercise, rather than improved balance.

Edit: I see Grunfeld brought up proprioception a page ago.
Also, depends how you're judging rocking, doing this you are far more aware of the work you're doing to stay up.

Sambostar

I feel really, really old now.  I'II have to try this when my muscles are not knotted and aching to feck.  Problem is that they always are.

On the bright side I can do the waving one leg, whilst standing on the other thing with my eyes closed all day and night, that is basically what I do, day in day out.  Is that really supposed to be harder?

Sambostar

I bet Japanese prisoners of war in their 20's couldn't do more than 2 seconds.

Sambostar

If I hunch forwards slightly and hang my head down I can go 30 seconds, but not with my back straight, head up and arms straight by my side.

Sambostar

Just done 40 seconds with my back straight, head up and arms by my side right foot, full quasi ectomorphic 6' 2" but now left foot is crap.

PolarityMan

I think you might be getting a little obsessed with this

littlegreenman

Working his way up to this!

Sambostar

She's cheating, she has her eyes open....anyone can do that with their eyes open.

So I called my sister, she is 4 years older than me and unfit.  She could do 20 seconds.  Considering how fit I am and that I do a physical job and am pretty much shagged every day.  I seriously think it's down to having bad ears, fatigue and a very high centre of gravity.

PolarityMan

Maybe you were stadning in a low pressure region, have you tried doing it in another location?