Improved Balance For Senior Citizens

According to the Center of Disease Control, fall-related death rates for men and women 65 years and older increased significantly from 1993 to 2003. Dr. Judy Stevens, an epidemiologist and doctor who wrote the report for the Center for Disease Control on death related falls versus injury related falls says that, “Fall death rates have increased faster than fall injury rates. In large part, this is because people are living longer and many of our seniors now are older and frailer. They need our help to prevent potentially fatal fall injuries”.

It is very important, not only for your health but for your life, as well, to improve your balance. Improving your balance will take time, effort and some specific exercises, but you can do it. Limiting your activities because you are afraid you will fall and get hurt will not help you improve your balance.

Improving your balance will, in turn, help you become more mobile as well, because it requires exercise. You will also feel more at ease with the activities you enjoy and will not feel the need to cut down on your activities simply because you are afraid you will fall and hurt yourself. You can change this for yourself and you can start today.

The best way to improve your balance is by walking. Yes, that’s it! If you do not walk everyday, start doing so, even if it is only a walk down your driveway – as long as you are walking. Consider this a practice for your legs to help improve your balance. You will need to take some steps in order to make this happen for you. Improve your stride by increasing it and improve your walking speed by challenging it and you will soon be feeling better and, most important, more balanced!

Improving your balance can also improve your posture and your well being. It can do a lot for your health, including reducing the risk for accidental injuries and falls. There are particular exercises that you can do to improve your balance. It can even improve your mobility.

Increase your stride by taking larger steps. Start off small by just seeing how long your stride is and then try to improve on that by taking larger, longer steps. This will help the muscles and ligaments in your legs, as well as your joints realize better balance and increased strength. Increasing the speed of your steps is also important. If you go for a walk everyday, start timing yourself to see how long it takes you to walk one mile (or however long your walk is). Time yourself everyday for one week and then tally up the results. Plan to make some challenges for yourself in the next week by improving the time it takes you to walk around the block. If it takes you about thirty minutes to walk one mile, make a goal for the next week to walk that mile in twenty five minutes and so on. Keep challenging yourself little by little and you will see that you can improve the speed and length of your steps.