5 Exercises to Improve Your Balance | SilverSneakers

There's no doubt that improving your balance will increase your overall movement function. Balance is one of the most important skills that we can train for. So let's try these five exercises that will challenge your balance. Be sure to use a sturdy chair or a countertop for extra support when you need it. And remember, in order to see improvements in balance, it's important to be challenged, but it's also important to feel safe and in control of your movements. Our first movement starts with a basis of a simple squat. So standing next to the chair, go ahead and sink your hips back so your knees stay over your feet, your weight sinks towards the heels, and then we'll come back up and we'll squeeze all the muscles from your knees to your waist. So shift back, your knees feel great, and as you come back up, start to squeeze the muscles in your lower and mid-body. Let's try a few of these. So lower body strength training is, and power training, is fall prevention training. So anytime we can get this really functional squat movement in, it's good. All right, to this basic squat, we can add a knee lift. So our first exercise is a squat with a knee lift. And I'm gonna come on to my right toe as I come back up, and then I'll shift back, come to a squat, taking care of my knees and hips, and then I'll come on to the left toe. This is a really great progression. Make sure you have your chair right next to you or your countertop. And then we'll work our way to a knee lift. So we'll lift, squat, and lift. Take it slow. If you move too fast, you lose a lot of the challenge. Breathe easy. And then we'll add a little more balance challenge. So as we lift to the right toe or lift the right knee, we're gonna add some rotation. So rotate to the right, look to the right, and then back to center. Squat, sink the hips back. Let's come back up. And remember, your chair's right there. You can look to the left and come back to center. Let's try that a few more times, either adding the rotation or not. It's a challenge. Do you feel your body shifting? So it's trying to figure out how to compensate for the movements we're doing. And that's a good thing, right? To stay challenged. Let's do one more on each side. How hard is that? Is it simple? Well, the good news is it does get easier. All right, so let's shift through the feet. We're just lifting the heels side to side, kind of releasing some tension. Roll the shoulders back and down. Posture is so important when it comes to balance and center of gravity. Our next movement here is a simple single leg stance. So we've probably done it many times. But let's try coming on to the right toes first and brace your core muscles so you feel nice and strong with your abdominal muscles in. And then try hovering that right foot over the floor. So you can see I've lifted my toes up and touched the toe down. And you can adjust to get the correct distance from your chair. But lift the toe. And then if you'd like, you can lift the knee. So that's our first challenge with the single leg stance is to lift the knee. All right, let's do a circle with the knee. So draw a little circle. And then as your balance gets better, draw a bigger circle. So challenge yourself. Your standing leg is always a little bent. So it's never locked out. Let's go the other direction. Breathe easy. Excellent. All right, let's try the other side. I'm going to step a little further from my chair so I don't hit it. And try lifting the left toe or lifting the left heel toe on the ground. And then lift that toe. Lift the knee. How does it feel? We want to use as much support as you need, but as little as you can tolerate safely. Use your core muscles. And then let's draw a big circle. Is one side harder than the other? I know it is for me. Little to big circles. And then let's go the other direction. Breathe easy. Keep this standing leg bent. And then bring that foot to the floor. I have one more challenge to add to our single leg balance. Okay, so chest is up, core muscles in, chin back. Let's come into our right toes. Hover the right foot or lift the knee. Good. And then close the right eye for me. So find something to focus on and just close one eye and open. Good. Try the left. Close and open. So we're adding that visual challenge. Let's try the other side. So again, left toe. Lift the toe. Lift the knee. Close your left eye. Open. How about your right? And open. All right, are you ready to put those two challenges together? Right heel comes off the floor. Foot comes off the floor. We lift the knee and we start to circle. Circle with your right eye closed. How about your left instead? I know it's a challenge, right? And then relax. Pedal your heels for a moment. Let's try the other side. Do you have one side that's better at balancing? One side that's a little more talented? So let's lift the left. Remember, it's heel, foot, or knee. You choose your challenge and choose the challenge that's just right for you today. All right, so we get to circle. Little or a bigger circle. So your body has to compensate here. And then try closing your left eye. Open. And now close your right eye. Ooh, all right. Place both feet on the floor. How you doing? So stand a little wider than hip distance apart. And let's just do a hip circle each direction. A few to relieve any tension that you might feel. All right, my final challenge to you is all about your inner ear. So we're going to do some head nods. And we'll add them to some movement as an option. You can be seated for this as well. Especially if you feel like, oh, I feel a little unstable as I'm doing head nods. So find a focal point, something to look at. And keep your eye on the prize. Keep your eye on that focal point. And just start to nod your head yes without moving your eyes. Your eyes stay fixed. And once you get it, you're standing or seated, you're supported or not. Then start to pick up the pace to these head nods. How does that feel? Stop. Close your eyes. Touch the chair or the countertop. Good, now open them again. We'll try one more challenge here with our head direction. So find that fixed point and then start to shake your head side to side. So when you move your head side to side, your eyes will stay fixed on that point you've chosen. Your knees are soft. We don't want them to lock out. And then you can start to go faster as you tolerate. You might stay pretty slow to begin with and pick up the pace as you move along. And then just relax. Touch your chair or countertop. Or if you're seated, make sure you hold on and close your eyes for just a moment. And notice how your inner ear feels. All right. From here, just add an optional march in place. So find your focal point. Nod your head yes. And then you can start nodding faster. Stop. How do you feel? And then march in place. We'll try those side to sides. Holding or not holding onto the chair. And then turn your head side to side while keeping your eye on the goal. And then set your feet still. Roll your shoulders back and down. And give them a couple shrugs to release any tension in the neck. To get the most benefit from these balance building exercises, make sure that you do them every day. You can even begin to do practices like standing on one foot while you're brushing your teeth. Everyday tasks. Or while you're drinking a glass of water. Give it a try. So I think that you'll find that once you start challenging your balance every day, you'll see great improvements.