The 3 Reasons Why It’s Easier Than You Think to Improve Your Balance with Exercises

Have you noticed that your balance is not quite as good as it used to be? Do you sometimes feel unsteady when you’re walking? Perhaps you find yourself looking down at the ground more than you would like.

You may have seen the impact of falls on friends or family members – the bruises and even worse, the bruised confidence and possibly the broken bones.

If so, then you’ll know how important it is to maintain our balance. And one of the best ways to do so is with specific balance training exercises.

Balance training can sound complicated, but it’s one of the easiest forms of exercise to do.

What Having Good Balance Means

Our balance is important because it keeps us upright, helps us to stand, walk and take the stairs without falling. So, it’s a physical aspect, but it’s also much, much more. As with so many things, though, we don’t think about it until we start to lose it.

What Good Balance Gives Us Is Confidence

The more you improve your balance, the more confident you will feel every day doing all the things that you want and need to do.

This confidence means you can plan trips without worrying about going down the stairs in public places (especially where there’s no handrail).

It allows you to walk down the street and concentrate on speaking with your friends or looking up at the buildings or the trees around you.

It enables you to travel further afield, to gardens, stately homes or foreign cities where there might be uneven steps or cobblestones.

When you aren’t worried about your balance, you can walk tall and make the most of every day with joy and without anxiety.

Doing Exercises to Improve Your Balance

One of the best ways to improve your balance is with regular balance training exercises. I want to give you the confidence to get started with exercises to improve your balance. Here are the three reasons why balance training is simple and easy to do.

It Doesn’t Matter Where You Are

Firstly, you can do balance exercises anywhere. You can do them at home (in your kitchen, in your bedroom, anywhere really!).

You can do them if you are staying at a friend’s house or in a hotel room on holiday. You can even do your balance exercises in your cabin when you are cruising round the Norwegian fjords!

All you need is enough space to stand up and to take a couple of steps. You should also have something to hold onto, in case you feel unsteady. That way, you know you can challenge yourself without worrying about falling over.

No Props Needed

The second great thing about balance exercises is that you don’t need any equipment. There are a few balance exercises where we might introduce some equipment that provides an unstable surface for you to stand on (perhaps a foam pad). If you do need this, it’s light, inexpensive and portable.

However, there are hundreds, even thousands, of balance exercises you can do that require absolutely no equipment at all.

Not needing heavy, bulky or expensive gear makes doing balance exercises so much easier.

You Only Need a Couple of Minutes

Last, but not least, you don’t need much time at all for these exercises. You can do enough balance training to improve your balance in a few minutes a day. In fact, you will see better results from doing a few short daily sessions than from doing one longer session once a week.

It’s one of those things that achieve more when you make them a daily habit. Which is good news as finding half an hour to do something when you are busy can be quite difficult. Setting aside five or ten minutes can feel much more manageable.

Getting Started with Balance Exercises

So, we can do exercises to improve our balance anywhere, with little or no equipment, and we only need a few minutes! What are you waiting for?

Here’s one of my favourite balance training exercises – try it with me now:

Tandem (tightrope) Walk – watch the video:

If you want more exercises to improve your balance, take a look at our free, four-week Balance Boost video series. These online videos are short, clear and easy to follow at home. They will help you feel steadier on your feet and more confident every day.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What balance exercises are you doing already? Where do you do them? If you haven’t started doing balance exercises yet, why not and what is stopping you? Please share your thoughts and concerns below.