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Guest author and fitness expert, Kathy Ekdahl shares her secrets to loosing that extra weight and staying fit and healthy.

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Q- I’ve noticed that my balance seems to be getting worse and worse as I get older. Is there anything I can do to help my balance?

You may not have this problem yet, but you may have a parent or neighbor beginning to lose their sense of balance. A  fall for seniors can be much more dangerous and life changing than for younger people, as it can result in an extended stay in the hospital, rehab center or even nursing home.  One serious fall is often the beginning of a downward spiral of illness and infirmity for the elderly.

Seniors are much more prone to falls because, as we age, our body’s natural ability to balance and navigate unstable surfaces diminishes. This is related to both neurological and musculoskeletal aging, but balance is also affected by diminished vision, hearing and sensation in the feet.  In addition, bones are more fragile and healing from injuries becomes more and more difficult.  When most of us think of fitness, we may not think of balance as something we can train, but rest assured, it is very trainable.  With consistency and dedication, you could improve your balance and stability within several weeks!

It is easy to begin improving  balance. Take a few minutes every day to practice standing on one leg. If you can only balance for 5-10 seconds- continue to practice until you reach 20 seconds, or even 30 seconds. Once you can stand on one leg for 20 seconds or more, try doing this with your eyes closed. This is quite a challenge! At all times, begin by balancing as you hold on to a secure surface. As you improve your balance, work towards balancing without holding on at all. When practicing balancing, always keep your upper body lifted, spine erect, abdominals engaged. Looking down at the ground as you balance will throw your posture off, and good posture is key for good balance.

For the next stage, I recommend practicing standing balance on unstable surfaces such as an “Airex pad”, or inflatable disc, but using a pillow from your home will work just as well. These techniques will “fire up” your neuromuscular system, and begin to get your muscles thinking and reacting more easily to unstable surfaces- whether they are a pillow, or the ice in your driveway. Supplement this balance work with  core training such as Bridges for your glutes, “Birddog” for your spinal muscles and plank holds for your abdominal and back muscles. I also recommend training the lateral hip muscles- which are important stabilizers for the hip joint. Something as simple as standing side leg lifts can work, as well as the “clamshell” exercise- a side lying exercise, sometimes using an exercise band, in which you rotate the hip open like a “clamshell”.  In general, weight bearing strength exercises greatly help seniors, as these types of exercises increase bone density, muscular, tendonous and ligament strength, and build confidence!

Poor balance is a major risk factor for falls, fractures and serious injuries. Start training your balance today, and your risk of falls and injuries will be much less! If this is not an essential reason to exercise, I don’t know what is!

Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at: kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com.