Maintain Your Balance

One of the biggest issues that so many of us face as we grow older is our balance. We tend to fall more and some of us even experience some type of vertigo that puts our balance out of whack at times.

Your balance depends a lot on the strength of your core, so working out your core can be very helpful in maintain your balance. There are a few exercises you can do that can help you keep your balance as you get older and a lot of those things aren’t nearly as hard as one might think.

Stretching It sounds crazy, but stretching can and does help you with balance issues. When you stretch for at least 20 minutes every day it kicks in the part of the brain that’s responsible for stability. So, every time you get up, do a little stretching it can really help.
Yoga Speaking of stretching one of the best ways to do that is yoga. It stretches you out and some of the poses have you on one leg which helps you maintain your body’s balance. You can do yoga a few times a week and you’ll notice your balance getting better.
Sit-to-Stand Exercise Sit in a straight backed chair and without using your hands at all stand up and then sit back down again. You can do this move 15 times in a row and it will not only help with balance, but it will also increase your leg strength.
Side Steps With your right foot, take a step to the right. Move your left foot over to meet your right foot again, repeat the same with your left foot. Keep repeating for about 15 steps on each foot.
Stand on One Leg If you don’t want to or aren’t able to do yoga you can simply stand on one leg at a time. Try lifting your right leg and holding it for about 10 seconds. Lower it and do the same exercise on your right leg. Repeat on each leg about 15 times.
Swimming Getting into the pool, whether at home or at a gym, and doing a few laps can really help you keep your balance. When you do laps your core gets a workout, and you strengthen your arm and leg muscles. Swimming also helps with arm/leg coordination which is important in maintaining your balance.
Tai Chi A great way to help you with balance issues, Tai Chi, is a slow-moving martial arts exercise and works to tone all of your muscles. Tai Chi not only assists with balance, but it will also help to calm your mind, and is great if you suffer from sore joints, particularly your knees. It’s a slow, gentle movement that works all of your body as well as your mind.

Don’t end up as one of the statistics of seniors who get hurt by falling in their own home. Take some of the necessary steps in order to lower your chances of losing your balance and falling. Most of these exercises only take minutes per day and doing them will help give you more confidence in any activity you want to participate in.