One-leg stance
28th Apr 2023 • 03 Min and 51 Sec
Transcript
We are all mortals who want to improve our health and well-being with simple things without any hassle, but what is the right advice? Is it singing out loud? Or going out in the sun? Or taking short breaks during work? Welcome to the Optimists podcast, I’m Dr Priyanka, and this is “One Simple Thing.” Here you will learn just one thing to improve your health in ways you might not expect.
In today’s episode, the one simple thing I’m going to tell you about is the one-leg stance. Standing with one leg raised with another on the ground significantly impacts your overall physical and mental well-being.
It improves your posture and helps prevent injuries. This can also help lengthen and improve your quality of life.
The one-leg stance is no easy task, especially if you do not do any physical activity on a daily basis. But with practice, you can eventually master it.
The one-leg stance is a simple and effective way to improve your balance.
Balance is what helps you move confidently and efficiently through the world. But, as you grow older, your muscles and bones tend to become weak, and your sense of balance starts to deteriorate. But not to worry, as doing one-leg stances on a daily basis improves bone health.
Improving your balance enhances your fitness level by improving core strength, posture, movement and coordination. Most people do not really give much importance to balance until they experience a tragic fall.
According to the World Health Organisation, accidental slips and falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide. Standing on one leg helps avoid these accidental falls by improving your overall balance.
If you do not have practice standing on one leg, hold on to something for support when you start doing it. Start doing it for 10 – 20 seconds at first. Then, gradually try to do it longer each day.
Keep your eyes open at the starting stages, but try doing it with your eyes closed as you practise more. When you keep your eyes open, the body becomes lazy and relies on your vision to help keep you balanced.
It has a lot of significance in yoga. In yoga, the standing one-leg stance is called Vrksasana or ‘the tree pose’. It is known to support mental and spiritual balance. It strengthens the legs and improves physical coordination. It also calms the mind and body and stimulates the nervous system.
Although it is much more effective to do this one-leg stance paired with yoga, Tai Chi or other workouts, it is good to do just this also.
Set a timer, stand on one leg for 20-30 seconds, and then do the same with the other leg. You can also do this while brushing your teeth or watching the morning news. This way, you won’t feel like it is a major part of your day.
So if this is not one thing you are already doing, then do give it a try! Your physical and even your mental health could get benefited.
That’s one thing to include in your daily routine for improving your body and life. Join me next time on “One simple thing” for a better tomorrow.