Standing Balance Exercises: 14 Easy Ideas For Seniors To Try At Home
According to statistics, one of the major causes of injuries and even death among most seniors is falls. Incorporating standing balance exercises into your daily routine can help with your balance, and body coordination and prevent falls. This gives you more confidence as you walk, climb the stairs, go biking, dance, and go about the rest of your daily activities.
Having and following an exercise program is essential as you age, as it helps improve your muscles’ flexibility and reduces the high risk of developing some health issues. You will also enjoy independence, knowing you can do your daily routine without relying solely on others.
Sometimes, you may not realize the significance of standing balance, until you start having issues while stepping in or out of the shower, getting in or out of your bed, or climbing stairs. If this is your current situation, balanced activities for older adults will greatly help.
If you are wondering about some exercises you can try to improve your standing balance, we have compiled 14 easy balance exercises that you can try from the comfort of your home.
Simple Ways to Help Your Loved One Improve Their Standing Balance
Sometimes it can be difficult and frustrating to see your once-strong loved one struggling with balance. However, you do not have to feel helpless, as there are simple ways you can help them retain their sense of independence and also improve their balance.
Some of these ways include:
Installing better lighting along the corridors
Installing grab bars in the bathroom
Widening the doorways
Installation of ramps
Removing obstacles that could lead to falls
Ensuring your loved one puts on non-slip shoes
Dressing them appropriately
Helping them lead an active lifestyle
Helping them to follow doctors’ recommendations on their diet
Hiring someone to help them around the house
Benefits of Standing Balance Exercises
When you or your loved one start home balancing activities for adults, you will be strengthening the muscles that help ensure you remain upright, including your core and legs.
Before you start exercising, you should consult your doctor, as some exercise could lead to weight loss, affecting your medication dosage. Ensure you have at least three weekly balancing sessions for optimum results.
Standing balance exercises and training will greatly contribute to your overall health and reduce your risk of falling. In the United States, statistics show that a senior falls every second of each day. Although these statistics are alarming, falling should not be a normal part of aging. You can avoid falls by modifying your home and creating a haven to exercise properly.
When you start standing balance exercises, you will enhance your balance control and gain tremendous confidence to face your day with a smile. Other benefits of balancing exercises include, but are not limited to the following:
Improved mental cognition
Enhanced stability
Improved mental functioning
Reduce the risk of injuries in older people due to falls
Enjoy greater freedom and independence
Improved spatial cognition
Easy Ideas To Try At Home to Improve Your Standing Balance
Maintaining standing balance is a crucial part of aging. At Amy’s Eden, we want to ensure you attain this dream. We understand your desire to be independent and have compiled a list of exercises to aid you achieve a better balance.
When starting, ensure you take your time and exercise near a sturdy surface you can grab if you lose your balance. Remember, the hardest part will be starting your exercises. Sometimes you may experience discomfort or pain at the beginning of your exercises. However, if the pain and discomfort last over a week, you should seek medical advice.
Some of the exercises that you can try at home include:
Rock the Boat
This is an easy standing balance exercise that you can try at home. Start by standing with your feet wide apart. Lift and extend your arms outwards. Gently lift your right foot off, bend at your knee, and let your heel face your bottom.
Remain in this position for at least 30 seconds before repeating it on the other foot. For the best results, ensure you do it three times on each side during the sessions.
Wall Pushups
You or your loved one will love this exercise, as it only requires a little effort. Wall pushup exercises will help with strength and balance training.
Start by standing while facing a wall.
Ensure you are at an arm’s length distance from the wall.
Gently lean forward and place your palms on your wall.
Please keep your feet firmly rooted on the floor as you move towards the wall.
Next, push your body back toward your starting point.
During each exercise session, repeat these pushups at least 20 times.
Tightrope Walk
Tight rope exercise aims to help build your core strength and improve your posture and balance.
For this exercise, you don’t require any exercise equipment. All you have to do is open your arms and hold them straight.
Ensure your arms are in a parallel line with the floor. While holding this posture, walk straight ahead and pause for a second every time you lift your leg off the ground.
For better results, focus on an object at a distance, which will help you maintain your balance. During each session, take at least 20 steps.
Weight Shifting
For this exercise, you must stand with your feet wide apart. Next, shift your weight to your left foot and raise your right foot. Repeat the exercise on the other foot, and ensure you repeat the exercise three times.
Hold on to this position for at least 30 seconds during each session.
Balancing Wand
For this exercise, you will need to select a wand in the form of a cane, broom, or umbrella. You can also do this exercise while sitting if you prefer.
Hold the bottom of your wand in the palm of your hand. Try to hold the wand upright and steady for as long as possible. You can alternate holding the wand between your hands to ensure you evenly distribute the balance on both hands. Balancing wand is an essential exercise as it helps with core strength training.
Flamingo stand
If you find it difficult to stand from a sitting position, this exercise will be of great help to you.
To do this exercise, hold onto a sturdy chair and stand on one leg. Extend both of your arms upward.
If you find raising your arms upward while standing on one foot tricky, you can hold on to the chair with one arm and raise the other.
Shift your weight to the left foot while you lift the right foot and extend it upward. Try standing on one leg while raising your arms for 10 seconds.
Return to your starting point, shake your legs, and try the exercise on the other foot.
Repeat this exercise three times on each side of your legs during each session.
Back Leg Raising
This exercise aims to help strengthen your glutes and lower back, which helps improve your posture.
Perform the exercise by holding onto a sturdy chair or a wall. Ensure your weight is on your dominant foot and slowly raise the other foot up. Do this for a few seconds. Return your foot to its original position and repeat the exercise on the other foot.
During each session, repeat the exercise 10 times.
Tree Pose
For this exercise, you must stand next to a wall or a sturdy surface and put your weight onto one foot. Put your other foot with your heel set against your shin, ankle, or thigh. Avoid placing your heel on your knee during this exercise.
Hold on to a sturdy surface and hold the position for at least 1 minute. Return to the original position and alternate to the other side.
Heel Walk
Heel walking exercises aim to strengthen your feet and improve your standing balance.
Begin by standing while pressing your heels into a sturdy surface or a wall. Next, place one foot in front of the other one. In this position, ensure you touch your right heel with your left toes.
Place your left foot in front of your right foot, and repeat the exercise for at least 15 steps.
Squatting To A Chair
Sometimes, as a person ages, getting into or out of a sitting position can be challenging. Squatting to a chair exercises help boost stability and strengthen your hips and knees, which go a long way in helping you maintain excellent standing balance.
For this exercise, stand in front of a sturdy cabinet or a chair with your feet wide apart. You do not have to strain while opening your feet wide; open them to a width that you are comfortable with. Next, bend your lower half or knees into a hovering position, and repeat the exercise 2 to 3 times.
Forward or Backward Tilt
For this exercise, you will need a balancing board.
Stand on the balancing board and then place your feet at the outer edge of the board.
Next, shift your weight, and tilt the board forward until it’s touching the floor.
Ensure that you remain in this position for at least 5 seconds.
Next, shift your weight in the opposite direction until the back of the balance board is touching the floor.
Maintain this position for 5 seconds, and then shift your weight forward.
While using forward or backward tilt to balance, ensure you use slow and controlled movements. You can tilt forward and backward for a minute during each exercise session.
Marching
If you or your loved one uses a walker to assist with movement, this doesn’t mean you can’t exercise.
You can use your walker to perform easy exercises like marching, which will help improve your balance and stability.
To do this, stand and place your hands on the walker.
Raise your right knee as far as possible.
Lowering it, lift your left knee as high as possible.
Alternate between your legs for at least 20 repetitions.
Single-Foot Standing Balance
For this exercise, you will need a balancing board.
Start the exercise by standing on the balancing board, then raise your right foot. Raise your knee as far as you can and maintain this position for at least 30 seconds, and then repeat on the other foot. During one exercise session, repeat at least three times on each side.
Heel-Toe Exercise Raises
To perform this exercise safely, you need a sturdy chair or a walker.
Stand and place your hands on the walker or the chair.
Let your weight rest on your feet’s balls, and then raise your heels and balance for a few seconds.
Shift your weight onto your heels and try balancing on your toes.
Repeat 20 times.
Tips for Caregivers to Encourage Standing Balance Exercise Participation
As your loved one’s primary caregiver, you must encourage your loved one to incorporate exercises into their daily routine. You can help your loved ones with their standing balance exercises by:
Helping them determine which of their legs is dominant. Doing this will help them start their exercises using their non-dominant leg, making it easier to use the dominant side when they tire.
Applaud their progress and encourage them to keep on.
Help your loved one distribute their weight evenly for better results.
Additional Support for Seniors Needing Help with Standing Balance
If you or your loved one has balance or mobility issues that make exercising challenging, you can talk with a physical therapist or trainer to help you develop an exercise routine that is ideal for you. You can also ask your caregiver to provide support. If you have a walker or a cane, try to incorporate it into your exercises as well.
Additionally, consider joining a group home with experienced caregivers who will provide personalized support and supervision during your exercises.
Some other ways you can try to improve your standing balance include:
Consult your nutritionist about a diet that will put into consideration your health requirements
Join a local fitness group
Consult your physical therapist or gym trainer on the best balancing activities for adults
Have your vision regularly checked
In case you feel dizzy, seek medical assistance.
Conclusion
As we age, and mobility and balance become an issue, one of the ways we can improve our balance is by standing balance exercises which can be incorporated into day-to-day activities.
It’s important you consult with a physical therapist or a trained fitness coach to know which balance exercises for older adults are ideal for you or your loved one.
Since falls contribute greatly to most seniors’ injuries in America, balance exercises will decrease your risk of falling, and improve your overall well-being.
At Amy’s Eden, our caregivers ensure that our seniors are safe even as they exercise in their homes or our assisted homes. If you need a caregiver to provide exceptional care for your loved one and be a source of support while they exercise, do not hesitate to contact us today.
