Let’s Get Steady On Your Feet!
Older adults I work with often struggle with staying steady on their feet and keeping their balance. Often, one of the aspects of balance that they are missing is, is the ability to move quickly. This predisposes individuals to falling and hurting themselves. This article, in addition to the video linked above, will talk about why seniors lose quickness, and a few great ways to improve this in a quick and safe manner.
Why Do Older Adults Lose Agility?
An aspect of fitness often lost by older adults very rapidly, is agility. Agility, simply being, is the ability to move fast and precise through space. Agility is lost by many older adults, typically because they aren’t as involved in sports and activities that challenge their quickness, like sports. To actually stay steady on your feet and catch yourself, you need to be able to move quickly. By practicing agility exercise, designed for seniors specifically, you can greatly reduce the risk of falling. For demonstrations of all the exercises listed below, check out the video linked above.
Balance & Agility Exercises for Older Adults
Side Step Overs
Side step overs will involved you having a small box, stepper, or step stool on the ground. You will stand with both feet to the side of the box. After this, you need to step both feet up and over to the side, back and forth, as quickly as possible. If this is easy, try to get a bigger box. I will link below a cardio stepper you can check out to help you with this workout.
Quick Step Touches
Keep that box out from the previous exercise, and this time stand in front of it. After this, you will alternate touching one foot on top of the box, bringing it down, and then repeating with the other foot as well. Repeat back and forth, touching that box as fast as possible.
Balance Catches
Balance catches will allow you to challenge your balance, and practicing falling, in a safe and controlled way. All you have to do is slowly lean forward, and right before you fall, put your foot out and catch yourself. Make sure to repeat on both sides, and try to move to different directions at an angle, to switch up the stimulus.
Get Up & Go Circles
For this exercise, you will start seated in a sturdy chair. After this, you will stand up out of the chair as fast as possible, walk around the chair as fast as possible, and then sit down. Do this exercise again, moving the other direction. Go as fast as you comfortably can when doing this movement!
Single Arm Farmer’s Carry
Single arm farmers carries are an excellent way to improve not only your balance and agility, but also strength. For this movement, you will need a long space set out in front of you. After that, a heavy object like a dumbbell or heavy jug of water will be needed to hold onto on one side. Find a large space in front of you to now practice “walking” as fast as you can with the object. Once finished, flip that heavy object to the other hand and repeat the other way. I will link below my recommended dumbbell set that you can use to help with this exercise.
One More Thing
If you want to continue to improve your health and knowledge of the gym, regardless of your current abilities in life, you need to subscribe to our blog. Once you’ve done that, feel free to check out our other article and video linked below, giving a few more balance and agility exercises you can do as a senior!
Agility Drills for Seniors – Improve Quickness and Reduce Falls – Stepping Quickness
When addressing health concerns of older adults, being afraid of falling is on the top of the list. Whether it is because they have fallen in the past, or simply do not want to fall in the future, remaining steady on their feet is always on the top of the mind for this population. Due…
#agility #seniorfitness #fallprevention #senioragility #physicaltherapy #lowimpactworkout #lowimpactexercise
