Tips To Improve Your Balance
It’s why toddlers, well … toddle. They haven’t quite mastered the art of balance. In fact, it takes us until about 12 years of age to reach balance maturation. In children, balance helps them in sports, ride bikes without training wheels, and simply make their way through this world.
If it’s something you have, you can easily take it for granted. If this is the case, you may never even give balance a second thought. Why is balance so important? No matter your age, balance plays an important role in helping us stay safe, protected and navigate through life.
As we age, good balance keeps us from risking an injury, possibly one that we can’t recover from. Adults 65 and over are susceptible to falls. In fact, statistics show that 1 in 3 adults 65 and older fall each year. Most hip fractures are from falls. Falls as we age can also result in spine fractures, broken bones and more, that threaten our mobility and independence.
The good news is that if you are concerned about your balance as you age, it is something that can be improved. You just need to know how and take the time to retrain your body on this important skill. You may need to seek the help of a physical therapist to assist you through exercises and a new routine to help improve your balance, especially if you are recovering from a recent injury. Here are three tips to improve your balance.
Tips To Improve Your Balance
Practice With Balance Tools
Balance tools such as a balance trainer ball, and balance boards can be great for helping to practice your balance. Tools like this can be found for anywhere from $15-$50. There are many benefits to using these balance tools, including increasing core strength and muscles. Your physical therapist may use these tools in office and/or recommend for you to practice with them at home.
Give Yoga Or Tai Chi A Try
Unless you’ve done it before, yoga or tai chi can be challenging at first, but practice makes perfect! Many yoga poses are balance poses — you find the pose and then hold it– helping you work new muscles, find your center of gravity and build strength as you work to improve your balance.
Tai chi has also been shown to be an effective way to improve and maintain balance. In tai chi, you work through a series of slow movements, teaching you to be mindful as you move through each exercise. This strengthens your muscles, and helps you improve control of them, as well as helps you to improve your balance.
Exercises For Balance
There are many other exercises for balance that you can do and your physical therapist may suggest some to you. Walking toe to opposite heel down a straight line, standing up out of a chair quickly, and doing lunges or squats are all great exercises to begin with to improve your balance. Of course, where you start will depend on your current skill level and you will want to consult with your physical therapist, who is here to help.
See Your Practitioner For More Tips To Improve Your Balance
Practicing balance as you age protects you, your health and your mobility and independence. If you are looking for ways to regain your balance after an injury or improve your balance, contact us at Fusion Rehab today.