I’ve always moved pretty fast. Not marathon-runner fast, but the “I’m in a hurry so get out of my way” fast. I walk looking straight ahead, not down, and this in itself has caused some problems through the years. I’ve walked into small children at the mall, tripped over puppies on the sidewalk, and once, (this is NOT made up; my children will vouch for this) to the horror of my kids, I tripped over a gypsy beggar kneeling in the street in Barcelona and kicked her money cup across the street.
I tell you this not so you will think I’m a total klutz, but to remind everyone of how vulnerable we can be if we don’t pay attention to obstacles in our surroundings. And we are even more vulnerable to “accidents” if we don’t have strong bones or good balance and coordination. This is especially true as we get older.
While having good balance and sense of body position is beneficial to sports performance, it is critical to preventing falls. Falls are a leading cause of debilitating injury and they become even more so as we get older. Doing balance exercises can help you maintain both your balance and confidence at any age. These exercises can also help prevent falls and improve your coordination. And they can help us remain more independent as we get older!
Nearly any activity that keeps you on your feet and moving, such as walking, can help you maintain good balance. But you should also include balance exercises in your daily routine. Try balancing on one foot while waiting in line, or stand up and sit down without using your hands. For a more targeted approach, try specific balance exercises
An easy way to begin is with weight shifts:
-Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your weight equally distributed on both legs
-Shift your weight to your right side, then lift your left foot off the floor
-Hold the position as long as you can maintain good form, up to 30 seconds.
-Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. As your balance improves, increase the number of repetitions.
Then move on to standing on one leg:
-Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your weight equally distributed on both legs. Place your hands on your hips. Lift your left leg off the floor and bend it back at the knee
-Hold the position as long as you can maintain good form, up to 30 seconds.
-Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. As your balance improves, increase the number of repetitions.
Balance sitting on a stability ball:
Start with the ball against the wall and then slowly move out, holding onto the sides of the ball
Place one arm out to the side with feet flat on floor. Then, if you feel stable, both arms.
Challenge yourself by slowly lifting one foot at a time off floor.
The more balanced, and coordinated your muscles are, the less likely they are to be injured because of pressure or force.
A more advanced balance exercise is stepping over objects: Practice stepping over high objects (both walking forward and backward). You can use boxes, Reebok steps, flat benches—whatever you can find. If you want to progress, you can increase speed. This will help you develop a feel for where you are in space, and will also challenge your body to quickly catch and stop your motion, and to stabilize you as you change direction. All of these are fundamental components of sport and life.
And train overall functional strength: When you train in the gym, consider exercises that mimic your natural movement patterns. For example, squats, walking lunges, and standing cable chest flys—exercises that use muscles the way you need to use them in life.
Stretch daily: In addition to balance exercises, you need a daily stretching routine. Tight muscles get injured when they try to react quickly to extreme circumstances.
You also want to kind of “fall-proof” yourself by not standing up too quickly and staying active.
We want to do everything we can to prevent falls, but if our bones are strong too, we can prevent fractures if our balance fails us. Much of the support for strong bones comes from our diet and we need lots of calcium to grow strong, Eating calcium-rich foods increases calcium absorption, but calcium supplements can also strengthen bones, as long as they are taken with food and broken up over the course of the day.
Along with the right foods, spending time in the sun can also strengthen bones. Vitamin D, which is synthesized through sunlight, is critical to bone development.
Finally, load-bearing exercises strengthen bones and joints. Swimming, walking, biking, jumping and weight lifting can all contribute to stronger bones, because the body responds to physical stress by building up the bones to cope with it. It’s beneficial for bones in people of all ages, including older people. Weight-bearing exercise applies tension to our muscles and bones, and our bodies respond to this stress by increasing bone density; in young adults by as much as 2 - 8% a year. In addition to improving bone density, weight-bearing exercises reduce the risk of fractures by improving muscle strength and balance, thus helping to prevent falls.
What is most crucial to preventing injuries, though, is having an acute awareness of your environment. This means looking up and down and all around you when you’re walking (which also means not texting or playing with your smart phone), and keeping your home environment clear of obstacles that are accidents waiting to happen, like open cabinet doors, kicked-off shoes, laundry baskets or toys (doggie or kid)!
So do your best to keep your body strong, safe and balanced now and as you age and it will reward you with added years of health and mobility!!
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