By Everything Lifestyle Staff

Balance

5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Balance

Nov 20, 2024 | 1:11 PM

These activities and exercises strengthen your balance so you’re less likely to fall.

You may not give much thought to your balance on any given day, but good balance is an important component of healthy aging. Falls are a common cause of injury in older adults and one of the best ways to lower your risk of falling is to improve your balance. That’s why it’s a good idea to incorporate balance training along with regular physical activity and strength training into your daily routine, especially as you get older.

The good news is that it’s easier than you may realize to sharpen your balance. Here are 5 balance-boosting activities that help:

1. Stretching – This loosens tight muscles, which can affect your posture and balance. It’s especially important to stretch your hips and lower back as you age because stiffness is common and can throw off your balance.
2. Walking – Just about any activity that keeps you moving your lower extremities can help you improve your balance. Regularly walking strengthens the muscles in your lower body, which is key to good balance. Other activities that also improve lower body strength include biking, swimming and stair climbing.
3. Balance-specific exercises – Most exercises improve balance to some extent because they increase muscle strength, flexibility and range of motion. But some exercises are especially good at improving balance. One such exercise is to stand on one foot. You may need to hold on to something at first, but as your balance improves, try to let go and see how long you can balance while you have one foot off the ground. Another balance exercise is to walk heel to toe in a straight line, putting one foot directly in front of the other. Standing up from a seated position without using your hands also helps improve balance.
4. Yoga – Many people practice yoga for it’s excellent balance-building benefits. In addition to strengthening muscles and improving flexibility, yoga also improves static and dynamic balance skills. Static balance is the ability to maintain stability and control of your body while you are standing still or sitting upright. Dynamic balance is the ability to maintain stability and control of your body while moving or changing positions. Some of the best yoga poses to improve balance include the tree, mountain, chair, warrior, standing pigeon and downward-facing dog poses.
5. Tai chi – Another balance-improving powerhouse activity is tai chi, which challenges your body in ways that are excellent at improving balance. It involves doing slow, deliberate movements while shifting your body’s center of gravity. The practice improves lower body strength, flexibility, range of motion, coordination, stability, balance and proprioception, which is your ability to sense your body’s position in space.

The majority of balance-building exercises and activities can be done at home or while you’re going about your everyday activities. There are classes available if you need some instruction or you can watch videos online to learn how to do specific exercises or yoga poses. If your balance is hindered by an injury or health condition, talk to your doctor about physical therapy because it may be the best way to get you started on the path to better balance.

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_{Medical Review: Andrew Overman, DPT, MS, COMT, CSCS}