[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 (31–40)
Balance training using a chair
For older adults, being able to maintain balance is important because it helps prevent falls.
The chair-based balance training introduced here is valuable for preventing falls and improving walking stability.
Many older adults feel uneasy about exercising while standing.
In such cases, chair-based balance training is recommended! Not only is it safe, but it also lets you strengthen your core and lower body muscles without strain.
In fact, improving core flexibility helps maintain balance more than simply walking with your feet on the ground.
Give it a try and feel the difference.
Walking balance practice
Falls are especially likely to occur while walking, and those automatic, half-conscious movements increase the risk.
This session slightly modifies and makes the act of walking more challenging, aiming to improve everyday walking balance.
You’ll place your stepping foot and bend your knee in ways different from usual, then take small steps while maintaining balance in that unstable position.
Another key point is to keep your upper body upright so the effort transfers properly to your muscles as you move forward.
Balance training in a walking posture
Walking is very important for your health, isn’t it? For older adults to maintain their balance, it’s essential to strengthen the core.
The key is to train using the whole body so you’re not walking with just your legs.
Since this movement activates muscles you don’t usually use, make sure to hold on firmly with both hands to a chair or something stable for safety when you do it.
Even if you usually walk without thinking, simply paying attention to your hip movement and posture can help improve your balance.
Why not incorporate this movement into your daily walks?
One-Leg Balance Exercise
In everyday life, don’t you sometimes suddenly lose your balance? This is especially something to watch out for among older adults, as losing balance and falling can lead to injuries.
A recommended way for seniors to train their balance is the one-leg balance exercise.
Since it’s done one leg at a time, use a chair or wall for support.
It strengthens the lower body, making it effective for preventing falls.
The movements are all slow and controlled, so it’s nice that you can keep it up without overexerting yourself.
Exercises to strengthen the hip area
We often walk on autopilot, and without realizing it we make our movements smaller to reduce effort.
This exercise aims to improve balance by consciously focusing on the muscles and joints you use when walking.
The key here is hip movement: by getting the hips to move properly, your posture becomes more stable.
Because these are supported exercises—like side-to-side movements while holding onto a chair—they place little strain on the body, so it’s recommended to pay attention to which muscles you’re using as you go.
[For Older Adults] Balance Training to Improve Stability: Fall Prevention (41–50)
Shoulder blade stretch
In fact, the shoulder blades help regulate the body’s overall balance function.
Therefore, when older adults do scapular stretches, the entire body is trained, leading to improved muscle flexibility and range of motion.
They can particularly help improve and prevent stiff shoulders and neck stiffness, as well as improve posture.
Because these exercises can be done while seated, they’re easy for seniors to start.
Strengthening the core also helps reduce the risk of falls, which is reassuring.
To train the body’s balance function, it’s important to choose exercises you can continue without strain, so these exercises are recommended.
Arm-swinging exercise
For older adults, building muscle strength is important to help prevent falls.
Even without intense exercise, this arm-swing exercise can be continued comfortably.
Arm swinging is very important for strengthening the core and lower limbs during walking.
As the arms swing forward and backward, pelvic rotation is moderately controlled, allowing smoother lower-limb movement.
It also helps improve balance.
The key to this exercise is to be mindful of your posture while swinging your arms.
It’s nice that you can do it at home.