Balancing Act: The Crucial Role of Exercise in Preventing Falls
Did you know that falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults?
The good news is that exercise programs incorporating balance exercises can reduce falls by up to 40%, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. That's a massive reduction!
What are some exercises you can do to improve your balance?
You can reduce your base of support by narrowing your feet making the task at hand more challenging. (When your legs are farther apart, your base is larger, making balancing easier.) Alternatively, you can stand tandem, with one foot in front of the other instead of side by side—this adds a tricky element to your balance!
Strengthening your feet, ankles, and calves can make a huge difference. (Think about Pilates footwork and calf raises!)
Simply close your eyes during activities and notice how it affects your balance.
Instead of balancing on one leg on a hard floor, take it up a notch and stand on something soft like a cushion. Yikes!
Move your eyes around when you're trying to balance or turn your head and try not to fall.
Try balancing on one leg while playing catch with someone. Doing two things at once while trying to balance is not for the faint of heart. :)
The inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds in mid to later life is linked to a near doubling in the risk of death from any cause within the next 10 years, according to research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Unlike aerobic fitness and muscle strength and flexibility, balance tends to be reasonably well preserved until the sixth decade of life when it starts to wane relatively rapidly, noted the researchers.
Pilates is renowned for improving posture and engaging all those small stability muscles that help with balance. You may not notice it, but in every Pilates class, we work on our balance. Whether it's doing a standing lunge without hands on the footbar, holding the strap and rotating, or performing standing splits with the extender on, we've got you covered!
Reference: Liguori, Gary. ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (American College of Sports Medicine) (p. 348). Wolters Kluwer Health. Kindle Edition.