By: Tiffany Chen, Wellness Trainer, NASM-CPT, 200-YT
This blog post is a follow up to our recent “Don’t Fall into Fall” post. One important way to keep safe and reduce your risk of falling is to add some balance-based exercises to your daily routine. All you need is a chair or a counter to hold onto and you’re set. If you feel like you need a little more support around you, try these exercises in the corner with a chair in front of you.
We’ve provided photos and instructions so you can see exactly how the exercise is done properly. As your balance improves you can try only holding on with one hand or no hands. Just be certain you have a sturdy chair, counter, or corner nearby in case you need to steady yourself.
Must try Balance-Based Exercises
1. Single Leg Kick Backs
· Stand with feet hip width apart
· Lean forward slightly as you kick one leg back
· Try to keep both legs straight and the hips square and level
· Squeeze your glute(rear-end) at the top of the movement
2. Heel Raises
· Stand tall with feet hip width apart
· Try to keep the body tall and legs straight as you lift your heels off the ground
· Slowly come back down
3. Side Kicks
· Stand Tall
· While keeping your hips and toes facing forward
· Open the outer leg out to the side, bring it back in
· Try to keep the opposite hip steady and avoid shifting the hips
4. Single Leg Balance
· Stand tall you can bend the knee slightly on the standing foot
· Find a spot ahead to stare at, something that will not move, to help with your balance
· You can lift the opposite foot off the ground and balance with just the toe touching or lift the foot all the way up off the floor.
