Why improving your balance could change your life; yoga; tai chi

Significantly, good balance will help prevent the likelihood of falls, which can lead to serious injuries.

“Studies have found that a combination of balance training and functional exercise for at least three hours weekly reduces falls by 42 per cent in people over 65. Tai chi also appears to reduce the risk, probably because it focuses on weight transfer between each leg,” says Snodgrass. Her research is looking at why balance declines earlier for some people, and developing exercise programs for people in middle age to lower their future risk for falls and dementia.

Functional exercises that might help with balance include walking backwards, reaching, lifting things overhead, squatting, lunging and side stepping – all movements that help preserve stability by challenging it. Stair climbing is good, too, and has the benefit of strengthening the quadriceps muscles at the front of the thighs. It’s food for thought the next time you’re tempted to stand, idling, on an escalator. Snodgrass says low quadriceps strength is linked to a higher risk of falls when you’re over 65.

Keeping muscles strong helps us stay on our feet, but it’s also good to preserve muscle power – the ability of muscles to react with speed. It’s muscle power that can act fast to save you from a fall if you trip or lose your balance. But as we age, we lose muscle power faster than we lose strength, says Snodgrass, partly because we’re less likely to do activities that require quick or explosive movements like running, jumping or playing sports like soccer, or tennis.

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Can yoga improve balance?

“It can help – a little,” says Anne Tiedemann, a professor of physical activity and health at the University of Sydney, whose 2015 research found that it led to small improvements in balance and medium improvements in mobility for people aged 60 and over.

“But there are many different types of yoga, and yoga postures, some of which are done lying down or seated. Yoga needs to be performed in a standing position for it to improve balance, and it needs to be one of a range of physical activities, not the only one,” she says.

If you like yoga, her advice is to choose a type that includes leaning and reaching movements and perhaps standing on one leg.

We also need to preserve dynamic balance which is the ability to stay stable while moving around, says Snodgrass. Walking on uneven surfaces is good training for this, as is walking the dog because it forces you to stay stable while adapting to a dog’s unexpected movements.

“But if your balance is already poor, these activities can increase your risk of falling – and having a fall can make people so afraid of falling they become less physically active,” she says. “If you think you’re at risk of falling, see a physiotherapist for an assessment and advice on improving your balance.”

Is there a test to show how good your balance is at middle age?

“Not yet – that’s what our research is trying to find out,” says Snodgrass. “But there’s some evidence that if you can’t stand on one leg for at least 15 seconds in your 50s, you’re at greater risk of falls by the age of 70, compared to someone who can stand on one leg for 30 seconds.”

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