Have you ever thought about balance? Maybe not. Most of us don’t, unless we see a tight rope walker or similar. Of course, we don’t need to be able to do that, as impressive as it looks. We don’t need to be anywhere near as good as that when it comes to balance.
But we do need to put a little focus on it. Why? Because falls are a major way that people get injured as they grow older. And if you get injured when you’re old and frail, it’s not easy to recover. It’s far better to keep your sense of balance strong throughout life than try to regain it after a fall.
So how do we do that? Easy: a very simple balance exercise every day. No special equipment needed, nothing to buy, nowhere special to go:
- Find some level ground, either indoors or outdoors.
- Find something you can hold onto when you start out.
- Look straight ahead, and slowly lift one foot off the ground.
- Hold that position for 10 seconds, then gently lower your foot.
- Repeat for the other leg for 10 seconds, gently and slowly.
That’s it! Simple, quick, and powerful. You’ll be amazed how quickly your balance improves.
As you improve, you can loosen your grip on the hand rail, and later let go of it. Then you can increase the time you stand on one leg. See if you can get it up to a minute for each leg. Then just keep doing it every day.
So that only takes two minutes a day! Anybody can find a few minutes a day, and it’s such a worthwhile investment. If you doubt it, ask anybody who’s fallen and broken a hip at an advanced age.
I like doing this outside in the sunshine, standing on the grass, or at the beach, but it’s easy enough to do indoors. Just make sure you stand on a level surface, and use a hand rail if you need one. Best to be safe.
You’ll thank yourself for this exercise as you get older, and balance remains a non issue for you!