Don’t Miss This Early Warning Sign Of Physical Decline (Better To Fix It Now)

It’s about balance. The first sign might be that you find you fail “can you stand on one leg for 30 seconds with your eyes closed” test.

Safety tip: try it with your eyes open first, then try it with one eye closed, then try it with both eyes closed.

Soon after failing that test, the problem can look like regularly grabbing furniture, chair arms, walls, or people for stability, which usually indicates a loss of leg strength, balance, and confidence.

More Stability is the answer

While training your balance is worthwhile, stability is the most important aspect. Consequently, there are exercise can be done that don’t depend a lot on balance, that will help it:

Farmer’s carry exercise: this builds total-body strength (in particular: your stabilizing muscles) and removes reliance on your hands for support; walk slowly while holding light weights (e.g. dumbbells, or water carriers) for 30–60 seconds, rest, and repeat thrice, 2–3 times per week.

Side lunge: step to the side and bend the knee to strengthen glutes and quads, improve control and balance, and reduce fall risk; adjust depth and add weights if needed; do 10–15 reps per leg, 3 sets, 2x per week.

Sit-to-stand progressions: you can start easy and work up, if necessary, by doing 1) mini squats: slight bends without full sitting to start building leg strength 2) sit to stand: lower yourself slowly to the chair, then stand without using your hands 3) weighted sit to stand: same as above, but holding a weight to increase difficulty (and without using the weight as a counterbalance! Hold it close to your chest). Do 10–15 reps, 3 sets, a few times weekly.

For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

90% Of People Over 50 Fail This Balance Test. Will You? ← also includes some more specifically balance-developing exercises

Take care!