How to Improve Your Balance as You Age

How often do you intentionally engage in balance-strengthening activities? If the answer is rarely or never, you may want to reconsider.

Balance is a crucial aspect of overall mobility that helps seniors maintain their independence and quality of life as they age. Affected by a variety of factors, balance can decline due to causes ranging from decreased muscle mass to medication changes or inactivity. Since balance and stability are crucial for preventing falls in older adults, it’s important to include balance-focused exercises in your fitness regimen.

While balance issues should always be evaluated by a medical professional and any new exercise regimens should be approved by your doctor before you begin, regularly engaging in preventative balance and strength exercises can help you manage your mobility and minimize the risk of falls.

To help you get started, here are some of the strategies and tactics you can employ to help improve your balance and minimize your fall risks.

Assess Your Fall Risk Factors

Before creating a balance-focused exercise plan, it can be helpful to understand your current abilities. This can help you target areas to improve. There are existing technologies that can help determine your fall risk. At some senior living communities, residents have access to VSTBalance and VirtuSense, automated fall-risk assessment tools that utilize artificial intelligence with machine vision to identify fall-risk indicators.

The evaluation only takes a few minutes. It then creates a report that assists residents in identifying early deficits in balance, gait, and function. Treatment plans can then be developed using engaging biofeedback activities. These activities assist in reducing falls and improving mobility.

This type of risk assessment and the creation of unique, personalized plans has been shown to:

Reduce post-acute care falls by 73%
Improved mobility for residents by 85%

Those without access to such a program can speak to a healthcare professional about possible alternatives for identifying their risk factors.

Explore Balance Exercises for Seniors and Alternatives

Balancing is a complex skill that involves several bodily systems working in tandem to keep you upright and stable. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to maintain senior balance, as it encourages these systems to work together regularly. Exercise can also slow muscle atrophy and prevent bone loss, both of which could lead to an increased risk of injury if one does experience a fall.

Hiking and Walking

Recommendation: Hiking

Hiking trails provide a great way to experience nature while getting exercise. Trails vary in difficulty, allowing you to find the best option for your fitness level. Among the more subtle balance exercises for adults, regularly walking on uneven terrain during a hike can help you maintain balance skills. Just make sure you prepare properly for your hike.

Modified Option: Walking

You don’t need to go on long or strenuous hikes to enjoy the benefits of walking for seniors. If hiking trails are too difficult or far away to be easily accessed, simply walking around your local neighborhood can provide a great way to get some fresh air while maintaining agility. This is also a great option for those who require mobility assistance, as paved walking paths are more accessible.

Stretching and Yoga for Seniors

Recommendation: Yoga

Yoga is a great exercise for people of different ages and abilities. Seniors, in particular, can reap the many benefits that come with regular yoga practice. In addition to being a great way to improve balance, yoga and stretching for seniors can mean improved strength and muscle endurance overall.

Modified Option: Chair Yoga

The balance exercises found in a chair yoga routine can help older adults stay fit and limber. In addition to being a great option for those with existing balance issues, chair yoga can provide an introduction to more traditional yoga options for those looking for a more lowkey introduction to this form of exercise.

Resistance Workouts and Strength Training for Seniors

Recommendation: Bodyweight Exercise Routines

Bodyweight exercises for seniors are a great way to maintain muscle and practice balance without requiring any special equipment. Most balance exercise routines feature simple movements that can be done nearly anywhere.

Modified Option: Modified Bodyweight Exercise Routines

One of the benefits of bodyweight exercise is that it can be modified to be accessible to individuals of all fitness levels. Bodyweight squats can be modified to be chair squats, wall push-ups can help train the upper body and many other movements can be incorporated into a routine for a well-rounded workout.

Find Your Path to Balanced Living at Newcastle Place

At Newcastle Place, a premier senior living community in Mequon, Wisconsin, residents’ wellness comes first. In addition to offering comprehensive wellness plans for residents, Newcastle Place also exemplifies the charm and elegance of the greater Milwaukee region, providing curated lifestyles for sophisticated adults at every stage of life.

Here, you can enjoy customizable senior living apartments, extraordinary dining experiences, and a variety of fitness and social activities to keep you engaged. Residents also get access onsite to VirtuSense and VSTBalance, a rehabilitative technology that reduces falling risks by improving balance and increasing mobility through biofeedback activities.