Exercises That Support Better Balance
Better balance is built the way most skills are, with short, regular practice at a level that is challenging but safe. The three exercises below need only a clear floor, a light object and a little space. A worktop or doorframe nearby is there as a safety net, not as support.
Monday's article, Balance, Confidence and Staying Independent, explored how worry about falling can gradually reduce the amount we move, and why practice is the way to rebuild confidence. If you have not read it yet, it is worth starting there. Today's article puts that into practice. For how balance fits with strength and mobility across the week, see our cornerstone guide, The Complete Guide to Healthy Ageing Through Movement, and for the strength side of the picture, Why Strength Matters More As We Age.
Three Exercises to Build Steadiness
Aim for ten repetitions of each exercise, or ten slow turns each way. Rest for a minute between exercises, and begin with one round, adding a second once the first feels comfortable. Only progress when you can complete each movement with control.
1. Unsupported Reaches
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your hands free. Reach one arm forward to shoulder height, keeping your ribs stacked over your hips and your weight spread evenly over both feet. Hold for three seconds, then bring the arm slowly back to your side. Ten reaches with each arm forward, then ten reaches with each arm out to the side.
Easier: take a slightly wider stance and reach a shorter distance.
To progress: hold each reach for five seconds, or reach a little further each time while keeping your feet still.
These teach your body to hold its balance while the arms move, which is what happens when you reach for a shelf or a jar.
2. Reach and Turn
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a light tin or mug at chest height. Keeping your feet pointing forwards, turn your upper body slowly to one side and reach the object out to that side, as if placing it on a shelf. Pause, then bring it back to the centre and turn to the other side. Ten turns each way, moving only as far as you can keep your feet steady.
Easier: turn only as far as is comfortable, with one hand lightly touching the worktop.
To progress: turn a little further, and hold the reach for three seconds at each side.
Reaching while turning is one of the everyday movements where people feel least steady, whether they are checking behind them or fetching something from a cupboard.
3. Slow Walking Turns
Choose a clear hallway or a quiet stretch of floor with a wall on one side. Walk forwards ten steps, slowly and with your head up. Turn to face the other way in small steps, pausing briefly once you have turned. Walk back ten steps, turn again and return to the start. Do this five times, resting if you need to.
Easier: walk six steps each way instead of ten, and keep one hand lightly on the wall during the turns.
To progress: keep both hands free, and turn in a slightly wider arc.
Walking and turning at the same time asks the balance systems to respond continuously. This is the kind of practice that makes steadiness feel natural in daily life.
Apollo Insight
Many patients ask whether they should practise balance work before they have had a fright, or wait until they feel less steady. In our experience, earlier is better, because the aim is to keep the body's response sharp before it is tested. What we look for is not perfect stillness but a calm, controlled recovery when the ground changes. Practise the turns and reaches as deliberate skills, and they will start to feel ordinary within a few weeks.
This Week's Movement Tip
Single-Leg Balance at the Doorframe
Stand beside a sturdy doorframe with your feet hip-width apart. Rest the fingertips of one hand lightly on the frame. Shift your weight gently onto the leg nearest the frame, then lift the other foot a few centimetres off the floor, keeping your hips level and your standing knee soft. Hold for ten seconds, then lower the foot slowly and repeat on the other side. Lift only as high as you can hold without your body twisting or your hips dropping, and let the frame guide you rather than take your weight. When ten seconds feels comfortable, try holding for twenty.
Before starting any new exercise programme, please consult your healthcare professional if you have any medical conditions, concerns or existing injuries. If you experience pain or worsening symptoms whilst exercising, stop and seek appropriate medical advice.
How Can Apollo Help You Feel Steadier on Your Feet?
If you would like guidance with your balance, Reformer Pilates offers controlled, supervised movement, where the carriage and springs give you support while you build control through each exercise. Classes are kept to four participants, and if you are new to the method, our four-week Introduction to Reformer course is a gentle place to start. Explore our services or get in touch to talk through whether it suits you.
How Apollo Health Collective Supports Healthy Ageing
Healthy ageing is about understanding your body, looking after it well and having the right support when you need it.
At Apollo Health Collective, we help people stay active, capable and independent through personalised, evidence-informed care. Our integrated approach brings together different areas of expertise to support movement, recovery and long-term wellbeing.
Our Sheringham clinic offers Osteopathy, Sports Therapy, Sports Massage, Clinical Exercise & Rehabilitation, Reformer Pilates, Podiatry, Biomechanics, and Lifestyle & Wellbeing services. We also offer Osteopathy appointments in Norwich and Coltishall.
Whether you are recovering from an injury, managing ongoing concerns, looking to improve your movement or simply investing in your future health, our team is here to support you.
