10 Balancing Exercise For Seniors

As the ability to balance decreases, many seniors will be faced with the challenge of finding creative ways to strengthen their balance.

Walking devices is one example of ways that seniors can avoid falls. However, many seniors want to stay as independent as possible and are in search of other methods to help improve balance.

If you are a senior who is looking to improve your balance, the following information will be helpful for you. These 10 balancing exercises for seniors will help you improve your balance and maintain your mobility longer.

Walking a straight line

Many seniors often lose balance because they trip over their own feet. Walking a straight line and focusing on putting one foot in front of the other will help improve balance.

Balancing on one foot

Hold on to a chair or wall, gently raise one foot a few inches off of the ground and begin to balance on one foot. As times goes on, challenge yourself to stand on one foot for longer periods of time.

Walking briskly focusing on putting one foot in front of the other

Your leisurely walk around the neighborhood can greatly increase your balance. As you walk, keep a focus on putting one foot in front of the other and increase your speed as you become comfortable with the activity.

Hip flexion

This exercise is completed by holding on a table or chair and gently bringing your knee to your chest area. It helps strengthen your hips and reduce your risk of falling. Hold each knee for a period of 12 to 15 seconds and complete the exercise in repetitions of 10.

Plantar flexion

Holding on to a chair or table, stand on your tip toes for as long as you possibly can. As you become familiar with this exercise, you can increase the difficulty level by holding on to the table with a fingertip or not holding on to it at all.

If you choose to do the exercise free handed, make sure you have a wall or table nearby to help break your fall.

Stretching

As you age, stretching should become an important part of your lifestyle. Stretching helps your muscles to stay limber and makes walking easier. The more your stretch, the lower your chances of falling because of balance issues will be.

Sit to stand exercise

Instead of sitting sedentary in your chair watching television during the day, do sit to stand exercises to help maintain your balance. This exercise is completed by simply sitting down in a chair and raising yourself to a standing position.

Try to complete this exercise in repetitions of three. Being slowly and increase your speed as your body becomes more familiar with the exercise.

Shift your weight from side to side

Exercise can be done in almost any setting. Use that time that you spend waiting in line to shift your weight from side to side. Shift your weight from the left foot to the right foot and then back again to help improve and maintain balance as you age.

Add in some small weights

To improve your balance ever more, consider standing on one leg while holding a weight in the opposite hand. Do a few bicep curls to give strength to your arms along with building your balance.

Balancing on unstable surfaces

Once you feel comfortable with other balancing exercises, give yourself a challenge by balancing on unstable surfaces.

A pillow placed on the floor will give you a challenge and also provide a cushion for those times when you may accidentally fall.

It is helpful to be near a wall or table when trying this exercise for the first time so that you can break your fall if your body is not quite ready for this activity.

Listed above are 10 balancing exercises for seniors that are designed to help improve balance. Don’t allow age to be the reason why you lose your balance at times.

Completing exercises on a daily basis that are geared to balance improvement will help give you a hand up in the matter. Which of these exercises will you incorporate on a daily basis to help improve your balance?