Improve Your Balance

Adapted from Body Harmonics Shoptalk Oct 2. 2019

Aging well strategies

By now we have all gotten the message that an active lifestyle is critical to healthy aging.

The World Health Organization defines it as “. . . the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age.”

 We all know it is most important NOT TO FALL!!

According to a recent report from the  NCOA (National Council on Aging):

Falls remain the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations among Canadian seniors, and between 20% and 30% of seniors fall each year. Falls and associated outcomes not only harm the injured individuals but also affect family, friends, care providers and the health care system.

 . . . . Healthy aging is about creating conditions for individuals to make choices and engage in behaviours that prevent falls.

We need to do more than just modify our exercise routines to include balances, although that is an excellent start. We need to incorporate Fall Prevention Strategies into our daily routines.

 Fall Prevention Strategies involve conditioning of various body systems including the sensorimotor (the process of receiving sensory messages through our bodies and the environment and then producing a response), the vestibular (provides the sense of balance and spatial orientation) and the visual systems.  All three are involved with maintaining equilibrium.

 These systems can be conditioned by changing the environment or sensory input to challenge the body and the mind, for example altering the body position, closing one or both eyes and using different surfaces (soft, spongy, stable or unstable).

 Try this exercise:

1.     Sit on a chair and do arm movements.

2.     Sit on a thick cushion on a chair and do arm movements.

3.     Do the same with your eyes closed.

4.     Do the same while turning your body to one side.

These systems can also be conditioned by increasing mobility for the feet and ankles.

The ability to sway on your feet is referred to as the stability limit. Standing upright, and aligning the body with the feet allows you to sway forward and backward, side to side, before the need to take a step. The risk of falling increases with reduced stability limits. This happens with age as the ankle muscles weaken and ankles have reduced range of movement.

Try these exercises to strengthen ankles and increase range of motion:

1.     Wiggle toes in as many directions as possible.

2.     Point and flex the feet.

3.     Draw circles with the feet.

4.     Draw the alphabet with the feet.

5.     Squat and rise, bending at the ankles.