Better Balance, Better Life: FIT IT IN Right Now

How does better balance make your life better?  Well, you want to stay fit, right? But as you age, your muscles lose mass, so you get weaker. In addition, the balance mechanism in your ears deteriorates, making it harder to balance too. The bad news is that it makes you more vulnerable to falling and injuring yourself.  The good news is that you can prevent your muscles weakening by strengthening them. 

Even more, research shows that you are not only less likely to die from falling over but it reduces your risk of dying from any cause! Doesn’t working on better balance sound like a great idea for making your life better? 

An Easy Better Balance Exercise can be FUN

And one great idea is simply to stand on one leg. You can make it into a fun exercise.

It’s great when you’re waiting for a bus or a train or in queues of any kind. It’s unobtrusive and so not at all embarrassing.  (You don’t have to wave your arms about!  Do that at home.) But you can feel really smug about not wasting your time.

You can do it while you are doing something else.  For example, you can stand on one leg while you wash up a few things, while you are talking on your mobile phone or waiting in the queue at the supermarket.  

I do it while I clean my teeth.

Putting on my socks or trousers each morning reminds me each morning of the benefits of working on better balance. A great time to practise!

Why not watch for where you stand on one leg for a reason: getting in and out of a car, walking or climbing stairs for instance?. Think how a little bit of exercise can help you retain the ability to do those things easily.

You can make doing it into a game. And there are games you play on one leg. My favourite one is playing hopscotch!  You combine hopping and picking up stones with standing on one leg!  You just need a bit of chalk to mark up the hopscotch track. 

Keep Safe While Standing on One Leg

Start carefully and slowly. Stand comfortably and then lift one leg off the floor. I generally tuck my leg around the leg I am standing on, but you could lift up your leg with your knee bent if you prefer. Find what is most comfortable and stable for you.

If you feel wobbly, then hold onto something while you are doing it. The back of a solid chair is a good place to hold onto. At the supermarket, you can hold onto your trolley. In your kitchen or bathroom, you can grab a countertop or basin if you need to.

Gradually, perhaps you may be able to lift one arm or eventually both. As you progress, try holding on with one hand and moving your other arm. You can work up to using both arms.

Then you can try swinging the leg you have taken off the floor, either backwards and forwards or side to side.

Change legs after a short time. It may be as little as a couple of seconds to begin with. But practise frequently and you’ll find your hold time progressing fast.

Don’t begin without consulting your doctor if you have trouble with your bones or joints or have a history of falls or dizziness. Check as well if you regularly take medicines as some of them, such as for high blood pressure, can affect your balance.

The Science behind Standing on One Leg

Studies show that people who can balance on one leg for less than 5 – 10 seconds are far more likely to die than those who can balance for longer. Take a look at the this article from the British Journal of Sports Medicine if you are interested.

“Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35728834  

Strengthening your muscles also helps your joints from your ankles to your hips as well as having an effect on your core muscles. Your bones benefit as one leg standing helps prevent osteoporosis. The benefits reach as far as your brain by improving your cognitive functions and preventing their decline as well as the decline of your ability to sense where you are and how you move. (The posh word for that is ‘proprioception’.)

Better Balance, Better Life

A few smSo why not have a bit of fun RIGHT NOW and improve your balance by fitting in a quick exercise of standing on one leg? (Take it easy to begin with.) It may help you live a longer life!

Get into the habit of fitting in a few little exercises. A few little steps consistently soon up to better results.  I’m adding new exercises to my Fit It In page regularly so that you can add new ones to your Fit It In exercise regime as they appear.  And you’ll end up feeling better because each day you will manage to fit in some poses designed to help you live in health and happiness for longer.

Be sure not to miss any by signing up on the form below Right Now.  

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If you want to find out how to make walking into your daily dose of fun, then:

 Click here to find out how my new book,   Go Walking,    can help you.