[For Seniors] Balance-Training Exercises: Preventing Falls
As balance decreases with age, the risk of falls increases and daily life can be affected.
However, by consistently doing appropriate balance training, you can improve your body’s stability and prevent falls!
This time, we’ll introduce balance-training exercises that older adults can do without strain.
From simple chair-based movements to standing exercises, we’ll show safe methods you can practice with confidence.
Make them part of your daily routine and aim for a body that moves with ease and peace of mind!
- [For Seniors] Core Training: Recommended Simple Rehabilitation
- [For Seniors] Fun and Easy! Fall-Prevention Exercises for Older Adults
- [For Seniors] Stretching Exercises: Easy and Safe to Do
- [For Seniors] Easy and Fun Core Training
- [For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable and Healthy Chair Stretches!
- [For Seniors] Fun Exercises You Can Do While Seated
- [For Seniors] Recommended Muscle Training Gear. Simple and Easy
- For seniors: Leg-strengthening exercises you can do without overexertion.
- [For Seniors] Strengthen Your Legs! Recommended Training Items
- [For Seniors] Recommended Easy Strength Training
- [For Seniors] Leg and lower-back training: Fall prevention
- [Seated] Fun Health Exercises for Older Adults and Seniors
[For Older Adults] Balance Training Exercises. Fall Prevention (1–10)
Core strengthening: Exercises and stretches for older adults
Here are upper-body exercises you can do while seated that help strengthen your core.
Standing exercises can cause unsteadiness, falls, or even fractures, so please try these seated exercises instead.
The key points to watch out for are explained in detail, so follow along with the video as you do them.
If you prefer a slower pace, reducing the playback speed is a good option.
Also, even if two exercises look similar, whether you’re moving in a closing direction or an opening direction changes their purpose, so please pay attention to that.
Leg swing workout
We’d like to introduce a leg-swing exercise that can improve hip strength and range of motion in just five minutes a day.
It’s very simple to do! While holding onto the back of a chair, perform five movements—swinging your leg forward and backward, side to side, and moving your leg in a circular motion—each for 20 seconds, and repeat the set twice.
Just this alone helps develop the strength to support your lower back, the ability to steady yourself when you wobble, and your overall balance.
You can do it at home anytime without worrying about the weather or temperature, so it’s highly recommended.
Simple core training you can do while sitting
Just by having a stable core, you can reduce unnecessary strain on your body, but it’s scary if you fall during training, right? To avoid that risk, let’s try core exercises you can do while seated.
There are 10 exercises introduced with easy-to-remember names like the Pigeon Exercise, Haniwa Training, and Inchworm Exercise.
They’re all movements you don’t normally do, so it’s great for engaging muscles you haven’t been using.
Even just following along with the video and doing a full run-through makes a difference.
If you’re someone who sits in the same position watching TV for long periods, definitely give these a try.
[For Older Adults] Balance-Training Exercises: Fall Prevention (11–20)
Core training you can do slowly while seated
Here are core-strengthening exercises that are also effective for Parkinson’s disease.
When you have Parkinson’s, you’re more prone to falls and balance problems, but strengthening the core is said to help prevent these issues.
The core exercises introduced here are basic and can be done easily while seated, so try making them part of your daily routine—and once you get used to them, it’s a good idea to do them several times a day.
It’s easy to feel reluctant to move your body, but please try to keep up with exercises like these.
Toe strength training
If you feel like you’re getting more unsteady when you stand up or start walking, the cause might be that your weight is centered on your heels.
This time, we’ll introduce toe-strength exercises that help firmly support your body, along with exercises to prevent your center of gravity from shifting backward.
Prepare a chair and stand facing it.
Place your feet shoulder-width apart and perform a forward-bending motion as if to touch the chair seat, 10 times.
Be careful not to bend your knees.
Next is a glute exercise.
Stand with your heels and thighs together, tighten your buttocks, and then move your hips forward and backward while keeping them engaged.
You’ll see better results if you continue regularly, so try to do these consciously.
Catch with a ball on one leg
This is a recreational activity aimed at strengthening the power used to move the legs by rolling a ball with your foot and passing it to the next person.
Because you perform the entire sequence—catching the incoming ball and rolling it—using only one leg, you can really focus on how you move your foot.
Whether you kick the ball to roll it or use the sole of your foot will change the ball’s speed, so be mindful of that as you proceed.
Once you get used to it, it’s recommended to increase the cognitive challenge by getting creative with where you roll the ball or by increasing the number of balls.
balance board
This is a gadget where you place your feet on a board that’s intentionally made unstable, encouraging you to focus on ankle movement and balance.
Since you use it while seated to find your balance, there’s no risk of falling, and you can move your feet efficiently.
The orientation of the board is also important: using it lengthwise trains front-to-back balance, while using it crosswise trains side-to-side balance.
Besides the pattern that emphasizes pressing downward to prioritize balance, it’s also recommended to tip it back and forth to train your ankles.