Blog / Control
Better balance starts with your legs and your bones
Two things come first: legs strong enough to catch you when you trip, and bones you have looked after. Then a little balance practice every day, holding a chair if you need it.
Strength first
When you trip, it is your legs that catch you. A quick step and a strong push are what turn a stumble into nothing. Squats, sit-to-stands and step-ups build exactly that, which is why the squat test sits next to the single-leg stand in the standard.
Look after your bones
Bone density tends to fall with age, and strength training is one of the few things shown to help hold it. Walking helps too, and lifting something heavy for you helps more.
Ask your doctor whether a bone density scan or a vitamin D check makes sense for you. Plenty of older adults run low on vitamin D, but the right dose depends on your result, so do not start high-dose supplements on your own.
A little practice every day
Stand on one leg at the kitchen counter while the kettle boils, a hand hovering just above the surface. Walk heel to toe down the hallway. Two minutes a day, every day, does more than one long session a week. The full four-week plan.
Make the house easy
Good light on the stairs and in the hallway at night, no loose rugs, and things you use every day kept at waist height. None of it is training, and all of it counts.
