![[For Seniors] Exercises to Walk Again. Fall Prevention](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/W6REi9vrQ6U/maxresdefault.webp)
As we age, our legs and lower back can weaken, making stumbles and falls a concern.
However, by continuing simple exercises, you can maintain your walking ability and build a body that’s less likely to fall.
If you make easy, manageable exercises a habit, you’ll be able to go about your daily life with greater peace of mind.
In this article, we introduce exercises that can be easily done at home—even by older adults—to improve walking and prevent falls.
Let’s start with what you can do, move your body while having fun, and keep walking energetically for years to come.
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[For Seniors] Exercises to Walk Again. Fall Prevention (1–10)
Pelvic training for people who shuffle their feet
Do any of you find yourselves accidentally scuffing your heels while walking, like during a stroll? It’s said this happens due to a decline in the muscles that lift the pelvis.
Weakness around the legs increases the risk of falls, so let’s do pelvic training to strengthen the muscles that lift the pelvis and help you walk energetically! If you don’t like strenuous exercise, don’t worry.
All you’ll do is “butt walking.” That’s it.
Start with about three round trips forward and backward.
Once you get used to it, you can increase the number.
It also engages your abdominal and back muscles, so it may help you maintain your figure as well.
Toe exercises
Let’s try training your toes! Here are some ideas for toe exercises.
Have you ever focused on training your toes? Strengthening your toes can make it easier to maintain balance, which may help prevent falls and improve stability when walking.
This time, let’s take on some training with a focus on the toes.
Start with stretches—extend your ankles and slowly flex and extend your toes—so you can relax as you try.
Give it a go and incorporate it into your routine!
Improve side-to-side wobbling! Core exercises
When you sway from side to side while walking, it not only puts a strain on your lower back but also increases the risk of falling.
So let’s strengthen your core to reduce the swaying.
The muscles of the lower back play a role like a set of supports for the upper body, so we’ll focus on training that area thoroughly.
Move your lower back muscles with exercises such as shifting your upper body horizontally while seated in a chair and lifting your legs.
The key is to proceed while checking that your lower back muscles are engaged and making sure your body doesn’t lean.
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.
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.
side lunge
We will introduce exercises that strengthen the gluteal, thigh, and shin muscles to improve walking stability.
If you tend to sway from side to side when walking, please give them a try.
Hold the back of a chair with both hands and step one foot out to the side.
Bend your knee and shift your weight onto that leg.
Push off the floor with your foot and return to the starting position.
When performing this movement, be mindful to keep your knee and toes pointing in the same direction.
By continuing these exercises, you can improve walking stability and help prevent falls.
Walking using the adductor muscles
Everyone probably wants to live a long and healthy life, but not many people realize that the way you walk is crucial for that.
So this time, to help you stay healthy and live longer, I’d like to share the essentials of proper walking.
Walking is often described as a series of single-leg stances.
In that single-leg state, you shift your center of gravity from the heel to the toes, push off, and then land on the heel again—repeating this is what we call walking.
When you push off with your heel, the inner thigh adductor muscles engage and help stabilize the knee.
Try it while maintaining good posture and consciously feeling your center of gravity move.