Nope – not talking about work/life balance. Today let’s talk about our actual balance. I saw a silly reel on Facebook this morning challenging people to put on shoes and socks without losing their balance. I can stand on my left leg for DAYS without losing my balance but my right ankle is still a bit wobbly from a severe sprain in my kickboxing class – so I didn’t get that sock and shoe on my left foot without almost falling over! But it got me to wondering about why people lose their balance as they age – and what we can all do to keep our balance as long as possible.
A study at UCLA showed that many people begin to see changes in their ability to balance around age 50. There are a LOT of contributing factors like blood pressure issues, obesity, circulation issues, inner ear problems, medication side effects, and so on. So there’s no easy answer to the question. But there are things you can do to help keep your balance for as long as possible like these:
- Excercises that strengthen your lower body like walking or biking.
- Body weight squats and lunges are also effective at keeping up the strength of your core and lower body.
- Dance! Anything that sifts your weight from leg to leg will help keep you strong.
- Yoga flows can be built to help with balance – find a class and give it a try!
Want to know more about age related balance loss and prevention strategies? Click on these links:
- https://www.uclahealth.org/news/balance-begins-to-decline-as-early-as-age-50#:~:text=Researchers%20have%20found%20that%20balance,time%20decreased%20to%2045%20seconds.
- https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-does-our-balance-get-worse-as-we-grow-older-48197
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/easy-ways-to-improve-your-balance
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/fall-prevention-exercises
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