Lots of things in life can affect our balance—injury, muscle loss, inner ear problems—and sometimes, our balance can be fine one day, and impacted the next.
This is a particular problem for older people, who might experience age-related muscle loss or degenerative conditions that impact balance or coordination.
While this may seem inevitable, there are things you can do now to improve your balance according to NASM-certified personal trainer and host of the NASM-CPT podcast, Rick Richey.
Richey insists there are two surprising things that people can do and neither involves specific balance training exercises. You’re probably already doing a bit of both every day.
Here’s what he recommends.
1. Walk
Richey explains that regular walking can be great for balance, because “it increases body awareness and builds lower body strength”, both of which are vital components to retain good balance as we age.
“It’s low intensity, easy on the joints for most people,” continues Richey, “and it’s very good to do after meals for your metabolic health.”
Not to mention walking can improve cardiovascular health, help manage weight, improve sleep, reduce stress and can be a natural mood booster.
2. Strength train
A good chunk of balance issues develop due to depleted strength and lower body muscle loss. Gently working on improving your strength can counteract this.
“People will focus on balance exercises, and I think that's great, but what people don't know is that when you strengthen your legs, you tend to get much better with your balance,” says Richey.
But before you run to the store to buy the heaviest dumbbells you can find, Richey explains that just training with your own bodyweight can help.
“Even doing things on two legs, like squats, sitting down onto the couch and standing back up, strengthens the muscles in your legs and has incredible benefits when it comes to your balance,” he says.
“Strength is something that’s going to help you with your longevity. You don’t have to lift a lot of weight, put a lot of weight on your back, or hold on to heavy things to be able to do it,” he adds. “Sometimes it’s just working those endurance muscles.”
