It’s one of the most stressful things that could happen to someone as they get older, take a fall and possibly sustain extreme injury. But do not fret! Here are five exercises you can do at home in order to help you stay on your feet.
First you can practice something called ‘weight shifting’ where you stand with your feet under your hips and shift your weight from side to side. During this, lift you foot off the floor and hold the position as long as possible. If you worry about falling during this, make sure to stand by a wall or something to support yourself on if you need to.
Next you could do some one-legged balancing where you start with your feet hip width apart and lift up one bent knee and hold it for thirty seconds. Repeat this while alternating which leg you lift up.
The next exercise is the heel-toe walk where you will stand with your arms straight out and while your feet side by side. Focusing on a spot in front of you, take steps forward while placing the heel of the front foot directly in front of the other with your front heel touching the toe of your back foot.
Leg raises are a good way to improve stability. Sit in a sturdy chair with only the toes and balls of your feet touching the floor, slowly extend one leg in front of you without locking your knee. While flexing your foot, point your toes toward the ceiling and slowly lower your leg. Repeat 10-15 times while alternating legs.
Lastly, walking is one of the most important and effective ways to work on stability. Don’t force yourself to be a speed demon and just work on making sure you can keep one foot in front of the other.
Sources
https://aging.ohio.gov/care-and-living/health-and-safety/fall-prevention/exercise-to-prevent-falls-1
