Five essential balance exercises you should be starting now

Maintaining balance and strength as you age is critical to living a longer, healthier life. Photo / 123RF

Earlier this week, Elton John spent a night in hospital following a fall at his villa in Nice. Thankfully, the 76-year-old singer is reported to now be in good health. But his accident has highlighted a huge challenge to older people: the importance of maintaining balance and strength in later life.

According to NHS figures, one in three adults over 65 and half of people over 80 will have at least one fall a year in the UK. And falling can have serious consequences: Age UK figures reveal that falls are the most common cause of injury-related deaths for the over-75s, as older people struggle to recover.

Sam Bhide is an advanced physiotherapy practitioner who works with older people. “As you get older, muscle strength and stability declines,” she says. “People trip because their muscles are stiff or weaker.

“Our bone density decreases with age, so if we fall down we get fractures and rehab takes longer. Some people become depressed because they are living alone and they can no longer handle day-to-day functions.”

Earlier this week, Elton John spent a night in hospital following a fall at his villa in Nice. Photo / Paul Taylor

The right exercises can have a transformative effect – and the good news is that it’s never too late to start.

“We’ve had clients that suffered consistent falls before joining,” says Stephen Gray, co-founder of gym chain DVCC, which specialises in older clients. “One client said last week they haven’t had a fall since starting to work out six months ago.”

Here, Gray shares five top exercises to help you stay on your feet.

Five exercises to keep your balance, whatever your age

Standing on one leg while brushing your teeth

Balance builds with practice. If it’s safe – not too slippery – do this shoeless (slipperless?) because it will engage the little muscles in your feet and ankles.

The regularity of brushing is the perfect reminder to repeat the move, and using your arm while balancing is challenging your brain by having you do two things at once. If you’re diligent about your dental hygiene, this will mean quite a lengthy stint on one leg.

There is no shame in wobbling as you build your skills. Start with shorter bursts; the sink is always there if you need to hang on to something – pause and start again.

The squat

Squats engage your glutes, thighs and the muscles around the knees. Photo / Theo Stroomer, The New York Times

The core of this action is to sit as if on an imaginary chair. Your back should be straight and your arms forward, feet comfortably apart, toes pointing slightly outward. Bend your knees and keep them over your toes. Your eyes should be looking forward – not down – as you perform repetitions. It’s a very simple move but one that will engage your glutes and thighs and the muscles around the knees. Try sets of 10 with a little breather of around 30 seconds. Aim for three sets initially. If these are too hard, try them with an actual chair and build to lifting your full weight once you’re confident.

Deadlift

This is a tremendous foundation exercise that hits all the muscles in your behind and at the back of your legs. It’s the most basic of moves, in a way, but one that requires correct form. You are lifting a weighted bar from shin height off the floor to a standing position by hinging at the waist. It’s something all of us do when we pick up the shopping. Feet should be shoulder-width apart, bar around an inch from your shins, back straight throughout. Ask an expert to show you how to do it at first, and start with light weights. Three sets of 10 reps is a good beginning.

The Bird Dog

This exercise is great for the muscles that give you stability. Start on a mat on all fours and lift the opposite arm and leg. The lift is really a pointing action – you want to stretch your arm out in front of you and your leg behind as if trying to touch something just out of reach on either side. Perform the movement slowly. This engages your abdominal muscles while your limbs are in motion. When both the leg and arm are extended, try to keep an even line across your back, stomach muscles engaged with no sagging or twisting in your torso. Try two to three sets of six to 10 reps.

The ‘Barry Get Up’

This was popularised by US longevity expert Peter Attia and developed by movement coach Beth Lewis for a client called Barry. It’s essentially a very carefully calibrated way to get up off the floor. The exercise is performed by getting up and sitting back down on the mat. You start sitting on your bottom, feet in front of you. You then turn to one side, drop a leg to the floor, come up on one knee, and stand from there. Begin with your hands assisting and build to performing this both up and down with no hands at all. This is mobility, stability and balance in one.