THE 10 BEST BALANCE EXERCISES FOR SENIORS

BALANCE EXERCISES ALL SENIORS SHOULD BE DOING!

Becoming unsteady on your feet is NOT a normal part of ageing. Balance CAN be kept and improved at any age. 

I recently wrote an article, The Complete Guide To Great Balance For Seniors, which is an in-depth guide to improving balance. This guide gives you everything required to learn, test and improve your balance. So check it out for more.

For now, however, we will go through the best balance exercises that will give you GREAT RESULTS in less time.

Spending 5-10 minutes at least three times a week doing these exercises and you WILL see improvements over time. BIG improvements!

Incorporating some short, simple sessions of great balance exercises into your life each week is all you need for improvement.

Don't get caught up in the hype that more is better. Do these exercises, give it ALL your focus, progress slowly as you improve and aim to keep consistent.

This is the key to improving your balance. Short sessions take away any exercise burden, making them easier to stick to. All your focus each session to ensure you are getting the most out of yourself and slowly progressing the exercises over time to keep challenging yourself, leading to continued results.

Now, let's get into it.

How To Get The Most out of Your Balance Sessions:

Safety First. Always!

  • Get the all-clear from your doctor before undertaking any of these balance exercises.

  • Ensure you have something sturdy to hold on to — a chair (without wheels), a rail, a kitchen bench or something similar. To improve our balance, we have to challenge ourselves by practising more challenging positions. When we challenge ourselves, we may lose our balance; this is why the chair (or something sturdy) is very, very important.

Do Not Over Do It!

  • Take it slow and steady and always perform the exercises safely, utilising proper exercise technique at all times.

  • Ensure you give your body adequate rest between exercises and after each workout. If you feel tired, rest. Remember, as we age, our bodies do not recover like they used to, so give it time.

Warm Up!

  • Always perform a warm-up.

  • Perform a warm-up before the exercises below. Or I like marching on the spot or a brisk walk. Or you can do one of my warm-up videos. This is to wake up our joints and muscles and get everything ready for the exercises. By warming up, you'll get more out of each workout and decrease your chances of injury.

Get Started. Stay Focused and Give It Your All!

  • Once warmed up, perform 4-5 of the ten exercises below and perform the amount I recommend as listed below.

  • Stay focused throughout the exercises, and don't become distracted. Give it your all for the short time you are performing the exercises.

Continue to Challenge Yourself and Keep Notes!

  • Try and hold positions for longer, do extra repetitions or sets, and perform another workout if you're feeling good.

  • Change up exercises every couple of weeks to make it different and to be challenging yourself.

  • Take notes of the progress you are making to track progress. It's also good for motivation to look back and see how far you have come.

To follow videos of me doing exercises similar to these, make sure you're signed up to the mailing list (enter your email below) and subscribe to the More Life Health YouTube channel.

TOP TEN BALANCE EXERCISES FOR OLDER ADULTS

feettogether

1) STANDING FEET TOGETHER

  1. Standing with your feet together.

  2. Have a chair by your side or in front for safety reasons.

  3. Hold this position for the set time.

How Long To Perform: Perform for 2 minutes 

Mike’s added note: This exercise is relatively easy. However, there are many ways to challenge your balance by making this exercise, and all the others, more challenging, to find out how to do this, click HERE.

 

Tandem.jpeg

2) TANDEM STANCE

How To:

  1. Standing tall with an upright posture.

  2. Have a chair by your side or in front for safety reasons.

  3. Keep your big toe of one foot touching the heel of your other foot. Keep your feet straight and not splayed.

  4. Perform for the desired time.

  5. Alternate legs.

How Long To Perform: Hold for 1 minute on each leg. Perform 2-3 times.

 

 

3) SINGLE-LEG STANCE

How To:

  1. Standing tall with an upright posture.

  2. Chair by your side or in front for safety reasons.

  3. Shift your weight on to your right foot and lift your left knee up, bringing your left foot off the ground. Hold this position for the time specified.

  4. Return to the start position.

  5. Now shift your weight on to your left foot and lift your right knee up, bringing your right foot off the ground. Hold this position for the time specified.

How Long To Perform: Hold for 1 minute on each leg. Perform 2-3 times.

Single leg stance

4) HIP EXTENSIONS (LEG LIFTS BACKWARDS)

How To:

  1. Standing with your feet together, with a chair by your side or in front for safety reasons.

  2. Raise one foot off the floor slightly behind you or with your toes touching the floor. Keep your knee straight throughout.

  3. Return to start position. Repeat for the set repetitions.

  4. Alternate legs

How Many To Perform: Perform 10-15 repetitions on each leg.

5) HIP ABDUCTIONS (LEG LIFTS SIDEWAYS)

How To:

  1. Standing with your feet together, with a chair by your side or in front for safety reasons.

  2. Raise one foot off the floor and lift it out, away from the body, 20-30cm off floor.

  3. Keep your toes facing forward throughout lifting your leg (not out to the side).

  4. Aim for 10-15cm off floor.

  5. Return to start position. Repeat and alternate legs.

How Many To Perform: Perform 10-15 repetitions on each leg.

6) CALF RAISES

How To:

  1. Standing tall with your feet together and knees straight.

  2. Have a chair in front for safety reasons.

  3. Lift straight up onto your toes, bringing your heels off the floor.

  4. Hold for 1 second, then lower back to start position.

  5. Repeat for the set repetitions.

How Many To Perform: Perform 10-15 repetitions.

7) SIT TO STAND

How To:

  1. Siting in a chair in an upright position.

  2. Place your hands on opposite shoulders and keep your feet flat on the floor.

  3. Keep your back straight and your stomach tight.

  4. Rise to full standing, ensuring the back of your legs are not touching the chair.

  5. Sit down in a slow and controlled motion.

  6. Use the armrests of the chair to assist standing if required.

How Many To Perform: Perform 10-15 repetitions.

Mike’s added note: If you cannot stand with your arms across your chest, attempt using one arm on the chair or use both if required.

8) SQUATS

How To:

  1. Standing with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart.

  2. Have a chair in front for safety reasons.

  3. Hold your stomach tight and ensure your back is straight.

  4. Bend your knees and sit back as if pretending to sit on a chair.

  5. Ensure your knees are in line with your toes, and do not let your knees push forward in front of your toes.

  6. Return to the start position (standing).

  7. Repeat for the set repetitions.

How Many To Perform: Perform 10-15 repetitions. 

9) TANDEM WALKING

Tandem walking best balance exercises for seniors by Mike Kutcher

How To:

  1. Standing perpendicular to a kitchen bench, a rail (if available), or the back of a lounge, or place 3- 4 chairs in a line.

  2. You can apply masking tape on the floor for a line to follow (see diagram), but this is not required.

  3. Walk heel to toe for the length of the bench/rail/lounge/tape (2 - 5 metres).

  4. Ensure your toes are facing forward.

  5. Repeat.

How Many To Perform: Perform 6 - 12 lengths. 

10)    GRAPEVINES

Standing balance exercises for seniors by Mike Kutcher

How To:

  1. Standing perpendicular to a kitchen bench, a rail (if available), or the back of a lounge, or place 3- 4 chairs in a line.

  2. You can apply masking tape on the floor for a line to follow (see diagram), but this is not required.

  3. Walk sideways with your opposite leg crossing in front of your leading leg for the length of the bench/rail/tape (2-5 metres).

  4. Ensure your toes are facing forward.

  5. Return back to the start position.

  6. Repeat.

How Many to Perform: 6  - 12 lengths.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD TO PERFORM BALANCE EXERCISES FOR IMPROVED BALANCE

And there we have it! Ten balance exercises every senior should be doing.

Choose 4-5 exercises after a warm-up and perform as above at least 3 x a week.

Example Balance Program:

Monday (Warm-Up - Exercise 1, 2, 5, 6, 7),

Wednesday (Warm-Up - Exercise 2, 3, 4, 9) 

Friday (Warm-Up - 2, 3, 5, 8, 10)

Stay consistent, and enjoy it. 

The results will come.

If you would rather follow along to a balance exercise video to help improve your balance. Here is an exercise video for good balance and leg strength. Both are important in preventing falls. Follow along by clicking below.

BALANCE EXERCISES FOR SENIORS VIDEO

SIMPLE BALANCE EXERCISES FOR OLDER ADULTS: Follow along to this balance exercise video to improve your balance, and get stronger legs.

For more balance exercise videos, click HERE:

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How did you go with these exercises? I’d love to know! You can let me know in the comments below.

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