Balance Exercises To Do At Home

Maintaining balance is essential for daily life activities and reducing the risk of falls, especially as we age. Whether you're looking to improve your balance for sports performance, recovering from an injury, or wanting to keep your balance sharp as you get older, doing balance exercises at home can be simple and effective. 

The physical therapists at FYZICAL Marietta, GA recommend trying these balance exercises you can easily do at home.

Basic Balance Exercises

Several balance exercises physical therapy can be done at home: standing on one leg, tandem stance, heel-toe walking. For single leg standing balance, stand with your back towards a chair or a counter and then raise one of your legs off the ground. 

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and lift one leg off the ground, hold for 30 seconds, then change to the other leg. Gradually progress up to 60 seconds in the stance position concerning the legs. This destabilizes you and works the abs.

The tandem stance involves standing with one foot directly in front of the other, like walking on a tightrope. Again, hold for 30-60 seconds per side. Focus on keeping your balance. 

For the heel-toe walk, take 10-20 steps while placing your heel directly in front of the toe of your other foot each step. Go slowly, focusing on your balance and stability throughout the motion. These single leg balance exercises physical therapy strengthens the ankles and hips in addition to challenging balance. 

For the heel-toe walk, walk 10-20 steps in the following manner: the heel of the rear foot should touch the toe of the front foot. Move slowly and be conscious of your body’s position and positioning throughout the movement. This single leg balance exercises physical therapy also strengthens the ankles and hips while training balance.

Intermediate Balance Exercises

Once you have mastered the basics, try more challenging balance physical therapy exercises like standing on foam or a bosu ball, the airplane stance, and single leg squats. To stand on foam or a bosu, place the pad or ball on the floor and stand on it with both feet. Shift your weight from side to side gradually, engaging your core to stay balanced. Hold for 30-60 seconds.

For the airplane stance, stand on one leg while extending the other and putting the opposite arm straight to the sides, like an airplane. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then switch sides. This improves coordination.Single leg squats involve slowly squatting down on one leg, keeping your balance and stability throughout the movement. Squat down as far as you can while maintaining good form. Come back up and repeat ten times per side. This ​​high level balance exercises physical therapy is more challenging, so progress slowly and use support if needed. 

Advanced Balance Training

Some advanced physical therapy exercises for balance issues after mastering intermediate levels include single leg deadlifts, hopping or jumping, and agility ladder drills. The single leg deadlift involves standing on one leg while hinging at the hip, lowering your torso towards the ground, and keeping a flat back. Hold weights for added challenge. Return to standing and repeat 10 times per side.

Hopping side to side over a line or bouncing on one foot tests dynamic balance. Jump up explosively and land with control, working on stability. Do 2-3 sets of 10 hops per side. Agility ladder drills involve stepping in and out of a ladder placed on the ground in different patterns testing coordination. Try side-to-side, two foot hops, and grapevine steps. These advanced balance exercises physical therapy improve overall coordination, power, and balance for sports and daily life. 

Balance Exercises for Seniors

A good balance is essential because as we grow old, we are at high risk of falling. Some practical balance exercises recommended for elderly individuals are tai chi, backward walking, seated marches, and dancing. Tai chi helps increase balance since the body’s movements are slow and well coordinated from one position to another. Type in beginner Tai Chi videos on the internet that you can use in your practice. 

Seated marches are done by raising and lowering the legs while sitting while maintaining a good posture. Perform 10-20 reps to the left and the right for a sitting down balance exercise. 

Dancing is a great balance exercise. Put on music and move to the beat, shifting your weight side to side, front and back. Modify moves as needed. These exercises improve seniors' balance mobility and reduce fall risk. Consult a Balance physical therapy in marietta therapist for physical therapy exercises for balance.

Conclusion

Coordination exercises can be basic movements at home to reduce the risks of falling and increase sports performance. Starting with broad stance drills, up to mid level drills on foam surfaces, and up to high level hopping patterns, select exercises at your current skill level. Some ways of making it difficult include using equipment such as exercise balls, wobble boards, resistance bands, or weights. 

Balance training helps improve posture, strength, coordination, and ability to move around. Discuss with the Marietta Physical Therapy at FYZICAL Marietta in Marietta, GA, how to create a balanced exercise plan suitable to your conditions and strength.