AIBU to ask how long you can balance on one leg with your eyes closed?

[Aberforthsgoat]

DH and I just had a ridiculous competition
You have to stand on your handwriting side leg - ie if you’re right handed stand on your right leg and lift the other leg up off the ground, bending it at the knee
See how long you can hold it

How long can you manage and do you wobble?

DH thinks you shouldn’t wobble at all but only managed 12 seconds
now imagining Mumsnetters all over the country randomly balancing on one leg and freaking the rest of the house out...

Love this!! 27 seconds but wobbly. And very easy to get up without using hands. Unless I’m doing it wrong!!!

I can't. As soon as I close my eyes I topple over.

Much as I'd love to try my right hip is fucked (arthritis) and my inner ear is shot.

I have just tried. 2 minutes and figured I need to get on so stopped. Could probably do it for much longer.

Getting up from the floor takes less than a second and I don't think it's a leg muscle thing, more an all over test but particularly of your core.

I'm 38

Easily a minute before I had to get back to wrangling the kids for school.

BUT I have done yoga for almost 20 years, and I have had this exercise prescribed as physio to improve a bad ankle injury.

Top tip: start by practicing with your eyes open, balancing on one leg every time you brush your teeth. You will quickly improve and can then start doing it with your eyes closed (advisedly without a tooth brush in your mouth).

@ComicalEngineering no knees allowed on the floor challenge!

On balancing. We tried it last night after a few wines. I managed 42 seconds (am early 30s), a very bemused DH managed 38 seconds (is mid 50s).
Lots of wobbling though, thought I might take flight with all the flapping.

@oneuponatime yes i do it with a fair bit of flapping!
It’s made me want to practise and get better at balancing with my eyes closed now

Where are people putting their other foot for the balance thing? And what are you doing with your arms?

Foot sort of tucked next to my standing leg. Hands are palms down and arms slightly raised

If anyone does want to practice, put a little sticker at eye height somewhere and practice while keeping your eyes absolutely fixed on it. Then try closing your eyes for a few seconds with your eyes still focusing exactly where the sticker was.

Also, anyone doing it in shoes will probably find it easier with bare feet.

I got to one minute 20 seconds with a fair bit of wobbling and a bit of shuffling, then my leg muscles started cramping.

I also do yoga and I’m pretty sure I could stand one one leg indefinitely with my eyes open.

This is one of the tests my neurologist does. I can’t do it at all. Not with my eyes open and certainly not with them shut lol. I do have a brain tumour tho.

I did 1min 29s, but I stopped because my right leg started aching.

i can't, i've always had piss poor balance and coordination, that and a few other things make me wonder if i am dyspraxic tbh.

I don’t think HG has helped me. Nine years on and it’s still stuffing up life.

I was also wondering whether you'd been watching Roma...

Everyone wobbles! We do this in one of my dance classes - I can do it for around 60 seconds on either leg, but I wobble. We all use our eyes to help us balance - it's why dancers spot when they do multiple pirouettes (turns).

I wobble for about the first 20-30 seconds

Then I seem to lock it in and can do it until I get bored

Good balance and coordination generally and very good core strength (climber)

Managed 68 seconds but kept ending up like this (martial arts background)

I managed 40 seconds whilst DP took the piss out of me for only being able to do the 40 seconds, let the smug face commence when he only managed 2.5 seconds