I'm a personal trainer: These are the 3 moves you need for better stability and balance as you age

Features
By published

Forget yoga: You can do these 3 simple balance exercises today

A group of mature exercisers balancing outside during a workout
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Balance training doesn’t have to be time-consuming, and you don’t need a balance trainer or Bosu board on hand to perform balance exercises in the gym or at home. What if I told you that improving balance and stability as you get older could be as simple as performing simple movements regularly around the house? And that they only take a few minutes?

I do these without even thinking about it, like when cuddling my dog or even brushing my teeth. And I thought it's time to share them with you. Follow the steps below, and let me know how they help you in the comments section.

Watch: 3 simple balance exercises we swear by

  • Exercise 1: Stalk pose. Hold one knee at hip height and brace your core as you balance on one leg. Stand tall and press through your foot as you draw your lifted knee toward your chest. Hold for 30-60 seconds, then switch legs.
  • Exercise 2: Calf raises with pause. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, then roll onto the balls of your feet and lift your heels off the ground. Hold for a few seconds, then lower your heels with control. Repeat for 30-60 seconds.
  • Exercise 3: Side leg lift and front lift. Stand tall, then raise one leg to the side as high as you can. Lower the leg, then lift and extend the same leg in front of you. Try not to lean forward, backward, or to one side. Repeat for 30-60 seconds, then switch sides. Bend the knee to make this easier.

Good balance doesn't just stop you from falling over; it helps you perform exercises and daily tasks properly, too, and improves proprioception, your body's awareness of where it is in space.

Think about the "simple" act of putting on a sock or tying up your laces. But balance and stability aren't guaranteed, and as you age, they become harder to maintain if you don't stay active regularly.

Aside from the larger, more powerful muscle groups that drive movement, like your quads and hamstrings for running or your chest and back for pushing and pulling, you have smaller, stabilizer muscles that provide support and help you balance and move with less chance of injury. An example is your rotator cuff that sits around your scapulae and stabilizes your shoulder joints during motion.

Your core also serves as your body's powerhouse center, and must stay strong and stable to support you. Ideally, you'd engage your core during all movement, but a lack of core strength and activation can mean other muscles overcompensate, creating imbalance.

Practising these three exercises allows you to engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, and I encourage you to engage your core muscles throughout to help you balance. They will strengthen your lower body, including muscles and joints, and help you stabilize your bodyweight without the need to hold on to things.

Don't worry if you wobble or fall out of the exercise because you're still working the correct muscles and making them stronger; plus, no one can see you!

Balance and stability aren't guaranteed, and as you age, they become harder to maintain.

If you want to make these movements harder, stand on a Bosu balance trainer. Trust me, this will improve core stability and test your coordination. Balance trainers are commonly used by athletes and sportspeople to improve agility, strength and stabilization, so adding one to your home routine is certainly worth the challenge.

There's research to show that balance training could engage your nervous system as well as your muscles, helping improve reaction times and communication skills between your brain and body. Working on your balance can also improve how your muscles recruit, which can translate to other areas of explosive exercise like powerlifting or running.

Google News

Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.

More from Tom's Guide

Sam Hopes
Sam Hopes
Fitness Editor and Coach

Sam Hopes is a level 3 qualified trainer, a level 2 Reiki practitioner and fitness editor at Tom's Guide. She is also currently undertaking her Yoga For Athletes training course.

Sam has written for various fitness brands and websites over the years and has experience across brands at Future, such as Live Science, Fit&Well, Coach, and T3.

Having coached at fitness studios like F45 and Virgin Active and personal trained, Sam now primarily teaches outdoor bootcamps, bodyweight, calisthenics and kettlebells.

She also coaches mobility and flexibility classes several times a week and believes that true strength comes from a holistic approach to training your body.

Sam has completed two mixed doubles Hyrox competitions in London and the Netherlands and finished her first doubles attempt in 1:11.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.