[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] 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] Enjoyable and Healthy Chair Stretches!
- [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 (21–30)
Leg exercises you can do while sitting in a chair
We’d like to introduce chair exercises that make walking much easier.
Start by rubbing your legs with your hands to loosen the muscles.
There are various movements, such as lifting each knee without letting your foot touch the floor, and opening your knees to the side and bringing them back together.
When you try hard, it’s easy to lean forward, but it’s important to sit deep in the chair and keep both feet flat on the floor as you exercise.
By doing these movements, you can expect benefits such as preventing knee pain, improving leg strength, achieving a more stable gait, and reducing the risk of falls.
Until you get used to them, do the exercises within a pain-free range and don’t push yourself.
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.
20-second daily back muscle training
In our everyday lives, we tend to unconsciously choose low-effort postures, which can lead to weakened back muscles without us even noticing.
Here’s a perfect 20-second exercise to bring awareness to your muscles and posture.
It’s simple: place both hands above your head, spread your arms, and open your chest.
Just correcting your posture in this way will help strengthen your back muscles.
If your back rounds, the effect diminishes, so keeping good posture is the most important part.
Kyphosis prevention training using a resistance band
This is a training exercise where you use a resistance tube to add load to your movements, engaging your muscles while stretching your body.
It’s a simple motion—holding each end of the tube in your hands and stretching it—but depending on the position at which you pull, you can train different parts of the body.
A key point is to slowly stretch the tube and maintain that position, while staying mindful of your posture.
If you focus on opening your chest and engaging your shoulder blades, it can help improve your posture and lead to smoother movement.
Exercises to improve kyphotic posture
A hunched back is commonly called a “cat back,” but the technical term is kyphosis.
When your back is rounded, it affects your whole body.
While walking, you may start shuffling your feet, increasing the risk of falls, and your chin naturally tilts upward, which can lead to aspiration.
So let’s try a simple exercise to improve kyphotic posture.
Place both hands on your ribcage and inhale.
The key point is to check that your ribs lift upward.
Then, open your arms out to the sides and raise your head and neck upward.
Keep breathing slowly and hold this position for 10 seconds.
Just this alone can help bring a rounded, backward-leaning posture back toward neutral.
Exercises using a wall to prevent slouching
A slouched posture gradually develops unconsciously as we seek a comfortable position, but recalling proper posture can help trigger improvement.
This training helps you remember what a correct back shape looks like while strengthening the muscles that support it.
First, place your arms against a wall and take one step back.
In that stance, look upward and bend and straighten your knees to arch your back properly.
For people with a hunched posture, this applies force in the opposite direction, so be sure to proceed within a comfortable range.
indoor fast walking
Walking is considered good for health, and many older adults are already practicing it.
However, some may feel that outdoor walking is a hassle.
For those who find it difficult to go outside or aren’t comfortable with physical activity, walking outdoors might be challenging.
In that case, how about brisk walking indoors? March in place while swinging your legs backward.
If you swing your arms quickly, you’ll work not only your lower body but also your upper body.
It’s said that moving your hands as if to grab the leg that swings back can also strengthen your back muscles.
It’s easy to do, so give it a try.