Senior Adults’ Guide To Improving Balance & Stability

One of the most common problems that older adults have to grapple with is unsteadiness. As their bones and muscles weaken, it can become more difficult to maintain a good posture and balance and this can lead to a fall. The only way to prevent and treat this problem is to exercise regularly. Performing exercises designed to improve balance and stability will improve your physical strength and decrease injuries caused due to falling.

Exercises to improve balance and stability

Given below are some easy exercises that you can perform daily to improve your balance.

Cobbler’s pose

This is the most common yoga pose, and as it is straightforward, seniors can perform it and gain benefits. This increases flexibility and helps stretch the muscles. To accomplish the cobbler’s pose…

• Sit on the floor with your back straight.
• Bring the soles of your feet together by opening your knees outside.
• Now, hold this position for 5-10 breaths.
• If you want to bring variation, bring your feet closer to your hips and, then, take them farther.

Tightrope walk

This is the perfect exercise if you want to improve your balance and core strength. This is how you can do this exercise…

• With your arms out to your side (they should be parallel to the floor), walk in a straight line.
• Pause for a couple of seconds each time you lift your foot off the ground.
• Keep your head straight and focus on a spot in the distance—imagine that you are walking on a tightrope.
• Lastly, take at least 15-20 steps if this is safe to do on your own.

Flamingo stand

Here’s another senior-friendly exercise for you…

• Stand on one leg for 10 seconds and hold onto a chair to prevent falling.
• Maintain a good posture and then switch legs.
• To increase the difficulty level, extend your leg forward without letting it touch the ground.
• To take it another notch higher, try standing on a leg without holding onto any support.

Wall push-ups

Just because you are older does not mean you cannot do push-ups! Follow the steps to do some wall push-ups and improve stability…

• Stand in front of a wall. You should be at a distance of an arm’s length.
• Place your arms gently on the wall and lean a little forward.
• Now, with your feet firm on the ground, try to bring your body towards the wall.
• Next, gently push yourself away from the wall and stop when your hands are stretched out straight.
• Try to do at least 10-15 repetitions.

Back leg raises

This exercise will also help you improve balance, strength, and endurance. Here’s how to do this…

• Stand behind a seat.
• Now, try to raise your right leg backward without bending your knee.
• After remaining in this position for a couple of seconds, bring your leg back down.
• Repeat the same with your other leg.
• If possible, repeat this 15 times for each leg.

Apart from performing these exercises, you can even include simple stretches in your routine. As muscles lose flexibility as one ages, stretching can help you regain flexibility, thereby minimizing the risk of injuries. And as stretching increases blood flow, it will also help reduce pain.

At LifeFone, we understand that seniors are susceptible to fall-related injuries. Therefore, we have an optional fall detection function in our medical alert systems. To learn more about our efficient medical alert system, give us a call at 1-800-331-9198 or contact us online.