[[{“value”:”Balance training should be a top priority in everyone’s workout routine as they age. Having the right balance exercises in place can help protect the quality of your bones, keep your coordination in check, and prevent you from falling. In fact, staying strong, flexible, and mobile could reduce your risk of mortality significantly as you age.
We spoke with Melissa Leach, a certified yoga instructor and strength and conditioning coach with Yoga-Go who has extensive experience in the health and wellness field, who shares five daily exercises women over 70 need to keep their balance sharp. Doing so can support an active, safe lifestyle.
“These five exercises target the systems that balance depends on: proprioception (sensing where your body is in space), the vestibular system, muscle strength in the legs and the core, and reaction time. Unlike cardio or traditional strength training, these moves challenge stability itself, narrowing the base of support, shifting the weight onto one leg, and moving in different directions,” Leach tells us.
Single-Leg Stand
Stand tall on a flat surface with your feet hip-width apart.
Lightly place your hands on a sturdy counter or chair for support.
Shift your body weight onto your left foot, lifting your right foot a few inches off the floor.
Hold the position for 10 to 15 seconds, keeping your core gently engaged and your gaze straight ahead.
Slowly lower that foot back to the ground.
Repeat 3 to 5 times per leg.
RELATED: If You Can Master These 4 Moves After 50, You’re Stronger Than Most
Supported Hip Hinges
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
Place your hands on the back of a sturdy chair for support.
Press your hips back while maintaining a tall chest.
As you slowly hinge forward, feel a solid stretch in your hamstrings.
Lower your torso as far as it feels comfortable.
Squeeze your glutes to return to a standing position.
Repeat for 8 to 10 times.
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Standing Leg Raises
Begin by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart and hands holding onto the back of a sturdy chair for support.
Activate your core and shift your weight onto your left leg.
Keep your right leg straight and toes pointed forward as you lift it out to the side.
Hold for 2 to 3 seconds.
Lower with control.
Repeat 10 to 12 times before switching legs.
RELATED: 4 Classic Exercises That Reverse Aging Faster Than Cardio
Sideways Walking
Begin standing tall with your feet hip-distance apart and knees slightly bent.
Step to the side with one foot before bringing the other foot to meet it.
Continue to take controlled side steps 10 to 15 steps in one direction.
Carefully turn and repeat in the other direction.
RELATED: 6 Morning Moves That Keep You Stronger Than Most 30-Year-Olds After 55
Heel Digs
Begin seated in a sturdy chair with a straight back and your feet flat on the ground.
Extend one leg forward and gently press your heel into the ground, keeping your toes pointed up.
Hold for 2 to 3 seconds.
Release and return to the start position.
Repeat for 10 to 12 reps before switching legs.
The post 5 Daily Exercises Women Over 70 Need to Keep Their Balance Sharp appeared first on Eat This Not That.”}]]