Measuring how well a person is aging can be as simple as balancing or standing on one leg. It may not be easy for everyone to maintain balance on one leg, but according to Mayo Clinic research, it can be a reliable measure of neuromuscular aging for both men and women.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Kenton Kaufman, the W. Hall Wendel Jr. Musculoskeletal Research Professor who is behind the study, explains the findings and why it's never too late to improve your balance.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:10) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

Aging can be a balancing act, and according to Mayo Clinic research, your ability to balance on one leg can be a meaningful measure of aging.

"This was a study looking at markers of aging in older adults," explains Dr. Kaufman, senior author of the study and director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. 

Forty healthy, independent, community-dwelling people over age 50 underwent various tasks known to be markers of aging, including balance.

"We were comparing different markers of aging and trying to see which one was the most predictive of declines with aging," says Dr. Kaufman.

Standing on one leg

He says, if someone can stand with all their weight on one leg for 30 seconds, they're doing very well.

"Balance is complicated. It involves many different systems. It involves your vision, your vestibular system, your somatosensory system and your neuromuscular system. All those have to work in coordinated fashion to keep you on one leg," says Dr. Kaufman.

All of those systems deteriorate with age and increase the risk of falls. The good news is it's never too late to improve your balance, it just takes practice.

"The important message is to try it at home. It's very simple, easy to do. It's quick. If you are unable to stand on your leg for five seconds, at least five seconds, then you're at risk of falling," says Dr. Kaufman.

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