Three tips on how to improve your balance with exercise

Most people don’t consider how important their ability to balance is until it becomes difficult to balance. This ability makes walking around the grocery store possible. It allows you to sit up straight at your grandchild’s dance recital. However, difficulty maintaining your balance can mean much more than just difficulty doing normal daily activities. 

It can also mean you’re more likely to fall and injure yourself. Medical studies report that more than 25% of older people fall each year, and these falls cause injuries that send 3 million older people to the emergency room annually. Learning how to improve your balance with exercise can be an effective way to reduce your fall and injury risks. 

These three tips can help you learn how to improve your balance with exercise

Physical therapists are a great resource for people who want to know how to improve their balance with exercise. They have an in-depth understanding of the body and how it moves, and these specialists also have experience dealing with different balance issues. In fact, one study reveals that 90% of patients who used a combination of gaze stabilization and balance exercises decreased their fall risk. 

Three exercise tips that a physical therapist may offer to help improve your balance are: 

1. Try yoga — Yoga can be helpful in many ways. It can strengthen muscles vital to balancing, and this type of exercise can also increase your flexibility. It’s also relatively easy to modify yoga poses to fit your needs and current ability to balance. 

2. Strengthen your core — The core muscles have the vital job of supporting your spine and helping you stay upright. Therefore, having a weak core can make it much harder to keep your balance. However, physical therapists can help you learn core exercises that improve your ability to stay upright and maintain balance. 

3. Stand on one foot — Doing this action encourages your body to improve its ability to balance. It’s also very easy to work into your daily routine. You can stand on one foot as you wash dishes, brush your teeth or prepare dinner. Even better, these tasks are typically done near a counter or our source of support you can lean on if necessary. Try to stand on one foot for 30 to 60 seconds, and then switch feet. For best results, do this several times per day. 

Learn more about how to improve your balance with exercise at Back in Motion

Ready to learn more tips that can help you figure out how to improve your balance with exercise? Our therapy specialists at Back in Motion are primed to assist you. Our team offers free screenings that can pinpoint the source of your balance issues. We can then build you a personalized therapy plan designed to improve your balance and reduce fall risk. 

Things keeping you at home? You can still get the therapy you need, thanks to the virtual care and at-home therapy our team offers. You can even use any of our therapy services without getting a referral from your doctor first. 

Contact us today for more information about our balance therapy services or to schedule an initial appointment.