Walking is one of the best activities you can do for overall health, but, as you get older, you also need to include targeted balance training. If you’re feeling less steady, noticing you need to use a rail more often when walking up the stairs, it’s definitely time to focus on the right balance exercises.

Balance comes from a combination of lower body strength, coordination, vision, proprioception, and your nervous system. The following exercises do a better job at improving these factors than walking alone. I’ve worked with clients over 70 for years and I have used these exercises to help clients regain strength and balance. Always do each exercise near a stable object you can hold on to. You don’t have to use the assistance, but it’s good to have something there just in case you lose balance.

Tandem Stance Hold

Tandem stance is one of the best ways to increase the difficulty of standing on both feet. Instead of placing both feet side by side, you put one foot directly in front of the other. It’s easier to balance with a wider base of support and this narrower stance forces the ankles, core, and hips to stabilize your body weight.

If this position is too challenging, you can always separate your feet slightly with a staggered stance. Remember to look forward instead of down at your feet. Wherever you place your focus, your shoulders naturally follow, so if you’re looking down, it’s easy to start leaning forward and lose balance. You can start by looking down, but once you get the hang of it, make sure to keep your eyes forward.

How to Do It

• Stand beside a counter or sturdy chair
• Place one foot directly in front of the other
• Keep your heel and toes close together
• Look straight ahead and maintain tall posture
• Hold for 20–30 seconds
• Switch which foot is in front and repeat

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Single-Leg Stand

Standing on one leg is one of the easiest ways to gauge your balance ability. When your foot leaves the floor, your opposing ankle, hip, and your core fight to keep your body aligned so you don’t topple over. When you lift the foot off the ground, try to only lift it a few inches. If you bend your knee and raise your foot high, you’re training your hip flexor instead of just your balance.

Start with just a 5- or 10-second lift. If this is new to you, as you improve, you can extend the time. Remember to use a stable object close by to hold on to if you need it.

How to Do It

• Stand tall beside a sturdy support
• Shift your weight onto one leg
• Keep the standing knee slightly soft
• Lift the opposite foot a few inches
• Keep your eyes forward and core engaged
• Hold briefly, lower, and switch sides.

Standing March With Pause

Balance is about controlled movement as much as it is about holding challenging positions. The standing march teaches weight transfer from the left to right leg. A pause eliminates momentum and places more of the stress on your muscles rather than your joints. Avoid leaning to the left or to the right as you switch feet. The slower the motion, the better control you display.

How to Do It

• Stand beside a counter with feet hip-width apart
• Keep your chest tall and abdomen gently braced
• Lift one knee toward hip height or a comfortable level
• Pause for 2–3 seconds
• Lower the foot slowly to the floor
• Alternate sides with control.

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Standing Clock Reach

The standing clock reach allows you to build balance in multiple directions at once. Your body needs to move in three planes of motion. This exercise builds the balance you need when you turn sideways, twist, and step back. Start with small reaches and use any assistance you need as you’re learning the movement.

How to Do It

• Stand beside a counter with one hand available for support
• Shift most of your weight onto one leg
• Reach the opposite foot forward and lightly tap
• Return to center
• Reach to the side, then return
• Reach slightly backward and return
• Switch standing legs and repeat.

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Heel-to-Toe Walk

This final exercise takes the tandem stance hold and increases the challenge. Now we’re adding motion to the same stance, and your ankles, hips, and core have to stabilize you as you move. This isn’t about speed. This is about precision and posture. Once again, look forward. If you start to feel your balance breaking, pause after each step.

How to Do It

• Stand beside a wall or counter
• Look straight ahead and stay tall
• Place one heel directly in front of the opposite toes
• Transfer your weight slowly onto the front foot
• Bring the other foot forward heel-to-toe
• Take 5–10 controlled steps
• Turn carefully and repeat.

The post 5 Standing Exercises That Improve Balance Better Than Walking After 70 appeared first on Eat This Not That.