Practical Balance Exercise to Improve Walking
Does “Specificity of Training” Pertain to Healthy Aging?
Balance Training for Elderly — Functional Exercise for Healthy Aging
For those over 65 years of age, exercise is essential for ensuring your independence and and to keep you feeling good. For seniors who are very de-conditioned, most any activity that challenges the body will improve strength, but what kind of exercise should one choose? A recent study including 111 trials and 55,000 people concluded that targeted exercise reduces the risk and rate of falls in seniors (1). This review emphasizes the necessity of exercise that is multifaceted, including at least two of the essentials:
- Strength;
- Balance;
- Mobility (flexibility and posture); and
- Endurance
One easy way to include all of these components, and save time, is to participate in appropriate “functional” exercise. Let’s take the squat, for example. This movement is necessary for rising from a chair or toilet, and getting out of the car. It uses multiple muscles of the lower body and actually requires some complex neuromuscular control to execute smoothly. Depending on how far down you are able to move comfortably, you may even stretch some of the back of the ankle and hips.
For those unfortunate enough to suffer through injury or chronic disease, this exercise can be modified. For example, limit the bend in the knees and focus attention on moving the hips back. Sure, there are exercise machines and other resistive exercise that can help strengthen these areas, but to really improve balance, it is best to stand, contend with gravity and move in all three planes space, as we do on a daily basis.
What do you do to improve your coordination and promote healthy aging? Let us know.
To learn more, get your FREE down load of Chapter 1, Balance for Every Body:
lhttp://www.persistentperformance.com/free-download.htm
(1) Gillespie LD, Robertson MC, Gillespie WJ, Lamb SE, Gates S, Cumming RG, Rowe BH. Interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009 Apr 15;
Balance Training for Elderly — Start with Ankle Strength
Seniors are often encouraged to exercise, but many don’t have the resources or stamina to jump into a full-blown training program. Many people are looking for that magic bullet that's 100% guaranteed to restore some aspect of health. In reality, research demonstrates that “functional” training can improve balance and reduce the risk of falling, which becomes more prominent in adults over age 65.
Tips:
- Many valuable exercises can be completed while standing. The toe raise exercise is helpful for promoting strength needed for propelling the body when walking, for keeping the body over the center of balance and for general circulation.
- Begin with hands on a counter top, both feet on the ground. Shift weight to the front of the foot, then slowly raise both heels, if able. Gradually use less assistance with the hands until you are challenged slightly.
- Keep your chest up and knees straight.
- Complete 5-10 repetitions initially.
- Focus on breathing in for 3 seconds as you raise up slowly, and out while returning to the starting point.
This is a good warm up exercise and actually opens up the body, from the bottom up.
What do you think about balance training for seniors? Let us know.
See this link to learn more about choosing the right balance program for older adults.
http://www.persistentperformance.com/five-principles.html
On the home page you will also see the new “foot support scale” that allows you to find the right challenge while at the same time feeling safe in your balance training.