The “elder test” measures balance, coordination and strength
You are only as old as your ability to wear shoes. An “old man test” – which challenges people to prepare their legs to go outside in three simple steps – has gone viral on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube and can tell you a lot about your strength, stability and coordination. general. But can you do it without stumbling? Fitness trainer Chris Hinshaw challenged bodybuilder Nsima Inyang (pictured) to a test. @nsimayinyang/TikTok Hinshaw’s instructions have been used by countless others on TikTok. @nsimayinyang/TikTok TikTok user @mykeymoves went viral himself while using Hinshaw’s instructions. @mykeymoves/TikTok The test was invented by fitness trainer Chris Hinshaw and first started making the rounds on the internet in 2021. In a viral video, he challenged bodybuilder Nsima Inyang to try it. While balancing on only your right foot, bend over, pick up a sock and place it on your foot. Then get the shoe for the same foot. Put it on and tie the laces, all while balancing it on your foot. Your left foot, with sock and shoe on, should not touch the ground until the laces are tied. Then lower your left leg and lift your right. Repeat the same steps, balancing on one foot, until both shoes are on and tied. If you have to put both feet on the ground at all times, except when passing in the middle, you have failed. Audio from video has continued to be used for years as more and more people try the challenge. And although it’s called the “old man test,” many women have tried it, too. Get the latest medical breakthroughs, diet and nutrition tips, and more. Sign up for our weekly Post Care newsletter! Thanks for signing up! While the test seems simple enough, several studies have linked balance and stability to overall health. In fact, one conducted by the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2022 found that the ability to perform another 10-second one-leg stand test predicted survival in middle-aged and older people. The subjects of the 12-year study were 51 to 75 years old and had to try to stand on one leg for 10 seconds, with both arms at their sides. Those who were unable to do so ended up with more health problems over time, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity and unhealthy cholesterol levels. TikToker @Missmel_bloop is one of several women to try it. @missmel_bloop/TikTok Fitness coach Adam Collard also made the challenge on Instagram @adamcollard/TikTok Most alarming of all, those who were unable to successfully balance for 10 seconds had a nearly double the risk of dying over the next ten years. Researchers in China had similar findings in 2023, concluding that the risk of death from any cause in middle-aged and elderly people increased with lack of balance. However, another study in Australia gave men what they called an mBOOMER score, or a modified elderly rehabilitation balance score measure, based on physical assessments. Having a low score was associated with a higher risk of death from any cause. “Our ability to balance reflects all the interconnected systems required to effectively process the experience of standing,” explained geriatrician Dr. Lauren Hersh of Jefferson Health in Philadelphia. “So we can use balance as a ‘red flag’ that something else might be going on. It helps us assess risk and introduce strategies to reduce that risk.” If you’re concerned about a loss of stability, she suggests doing dynamic balance exercises like climbing stairs, walking on your heels or toes, and practicing yoga or dancing. “I like to say use it or lose it,” she added. “If you stop moving, you will lose your ability to move over time.” #elder #test #measures #balance #coordination #strengthImage Source : nypost.com
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