Flex Your Balance “Muscles” Daily

Take a few minutes every day to practice balancing during your normal daily activities. You can do it while you wait for the bus or the elevator, wash dishes or watch TV. Stand on one foot and then the other. Close your eyes and lift one foot. Add a few more seconds to your time each day.

Practice simple balance exercises and increase the difficulty each week. Stay with it and you will find your ability to balance improves steadily.

If you are a senior with shaky balance, or if you have an older friend or relative who is not steady on their feet, take the time to work with them every week on balance moves. Anyone can dramatically improve his or her balance with a little effort. And, quite simply, balance is independence. The ability to walk or move with confidence makes all the difference, at any age.

 Easy Exercises

Lift one leg slightly off the floor in front of you; hold for a slow count of five. Repeat this move five times or more. Switch legs.

With feet about shoulder-width apart, extend your arms straight in front of you. Lift your left leg and bend it back. Hold for a count of five. Repeat five times; switch legs.

 Balance Challenges

Balance on one leg for at least 30 seconds. Bend the leg slightly at the knee for more stability.

While balancing, play around with the distance of your gaze. Look at a stationery object near you. When that becomes easy, shift your focus to look at something further away.

Try the easy exercises listed above with your eyes closed.

Sitting on a large Swiss ball, lift one leg
off the floor for a few seconds. Switch legs. Now try the same exercise with eyes closed.

Try balancing on unstable or narrow surfaces - balance equipment at the gym - or walk on narrow ridges and curbs or unused railroad tracks. (Naturally, don’t do these in traffic or on “live” tracks.)

Try balancing on just part of one foot - the ball or heel. Don’t do these if it hurts your feet.

Prevent Falls

From the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Balance and Vestibular Center come these suggestions for preventing falls at home. The tips are aimed at people who have had strokes, but there are some good safety recommendations for the whole family. No matter how good your balance is, it makes sense to take a few precautions:

• Use nightlights in bedrooms, bathrooms and hallways.
• Make sure light switches are easily accessible for family members.
• Use bathmats with suction cups in the bathtub.
• Sit on a bench or stool in the shower and use a hand-held showerhead.
• Don’t walk around the house in stocking feet. Wear shoes or slippers avoid footwear with slick soles) that fit snugly.
• Don’t use throw rugs; secure area rugs with double-sided tape.
• Use a sturdy step stool with a handrail when reaching for items up high. (It makes sense to keep frequently used household items at waist height, unless you are keeping them out of the reach of children.)