Shownotes
What do all forms of exercise have in common? Balance.
In this episode, we explore why balance becomes especially important after age 50 and how you can train it at any age.
We discuss:
- Balance naturally declines as we age, and this decline matters for both daily confidence and fall prevention.
- Your body’s three “security systems” – inner ear, vision, and proprioception – work together to keep you steady.
- Simple, practical balance exercises you can do at home, no equipment required.
Whether you’re 50 or 90, athletic or just getting started, balance training can help you move with confidence and independence. Stick with it, and your future self will thank you.
Please send us feedback by email to feedback@scaledto.fit
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#scaledtofit #fitness #grownupfitness #scaling
Additional resources are available in the links below.
- Youtube: Seniors: The 2-Minute Workout that Helped Me Regain My Balance!
- Youtube: SENIORS: These 3 BALANCE Moves Reboot Your STABILITY FAST (No Gym, No Equipment)
- Older Adults: Adding Activity Recommendations | Physical Activity Basics | CDC
- Tandem Stance balance exercise for seniors | More Life Health — More Life Health - Seniors Health & Fitness
- Single Leg Stance Balance Exercise Technique For Seniors — More Life Health - Seniors Health & Fitness
- The 8 Best Balance Exercises for Seniors
- Falls Prevention for Older Adults
- Fall prevention: Simple tips to prevent falls - Mayo Clinic
- Tai Chi: What You Need To Know
- 30-Second Chair Stand
- Proprioception: What It Is, How To Improve It & Disorder
- The Semicircular Canals - Neuroscience - NCBI Bookshelf
Transcripts
This is Scaled to Fit Fit in your 50s. Restarting exercising and feeling like a rookie at the
Speaker:age of over 50. With Marko Lindgren.
Speaker:What one thing is common to virtually all the different exercises we have been talking
Speaker:about in this podcast? It is of course good balance control. Today we will be discussing
Speaker:ways to keep you on your feet. That is to improve and maintain your balance and balance skills.
Speaker:And this is not just about not falling off a tightrope at the circus. Stick around,
Speaker:because balance is way more important than you might think. Especially if you are in your 50s.
Speaker:Let's start with a reality check. At the age of over 50, our balance naturally begins to decline.
Speaker:It is not your imagination, it's biology. Our inner ear changes, our muscles lose some strength,
Speaker:and our proprioception, that is our body's ability to know where it is in space, gets a bit rusty.
Speaker:The good news is, however, balance is like riding a bike, except you will need some practice to
Speaker:maintain it. The even better news, you can absolutely improve it at any age. Think about it this way,
Speaker:good balance isn't just about preventing falls, though that's undoubtedly important. It's about
Speaker:confidence, it's about being able to reach for the top shelf without wobbling, navigating uneven
Speaker:sidewalks without anxiety, and yes, maybe even showing off a little yoga pose at your next family
Speaker:gathering. Oops! See what I did there? That little stumble could happen to any of us, and today we are
Speaker:talking about how to be ready for it. Even if you start from a bit of a wobbly place, it's good to
Speaker:remember what I like to say, don't do nothing, do something and scale it back. Let's talk first about
Speaker:what balance is and how it works. In the context of exercise, when we talk about balance, we talk
Speaker:about an even distribution of weight, enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.
Speaker:Your balance system is like a sophisticated home security system, with three different types of
Speaker:sensors working together to keep you upright and steady. Sensor one is the motion detectors. Deep
Speaker:inside your ears, in your inner ear, you've got structures called semicircular canals filled with
Speaker:fluid. When you move your head, this fluid inside the canals move, sending signals to your brain
Speaker:about which direction you are moving and how fast. Essentially, they serve as your body's built-in GPS
Speaker:and accelerometer, constantly updating your brain about your position in space. Sensor two, the
Speaker:security cameras, that is your vision. Your eyes aren't just passively watching the world, they are
Speaker:actively scanning for visual cues about your environment. They are looking at the horizon line,
Speaker:checking if objects are moving relative to you, and measuring distances to help your brain calculate
Speaker:exactly where you are. Even tiny eye movements you are not aware of are helping maintain your
Speaker:balance. Ever notice how much harder it is to balance with your eyes closed? That's because you've
Speaker:just turned off one of your three security systems. Sensor three, the pressure sensors, your proprioception.
Speaker:This is the coolest one and most people don't even know it exists.
Speaker:Throughout your muscles, tendons and joints you have thousands of tiny sensors called
Speaker:proprioceptors and mechanoreceptors.
Speaker:They are constantly reporting back to your brain.
Speaker:The ankle is tilted 5 degrees to the left, the knee is bearing more weight, the hip muscles
Speaker:are contracting.
Speaker:It's like having a full body network of pressure sensitive security sensors that never sleep.
Speaker:And now it gets really interesting.
Speaker:The brain is like the central monitoring station getting reports from all three systems simultaneously.
Speaker:It constantly cross-references this information, making split second calculations and sends
Speaker:our correction signals to your muscles faster than you can consciously think.
Speaker:We are talking milliseconds here.
Speaker:When all three systems are working perfectly together, you feel stable and confident.
Speaker:However, as we age, signals from the inner ear canals become less accurate, our vision
Speaker:may not be as sharp and our proprioceptors can become less sensitive.
Speaker:It's like having security sensors that are getting a bit fuzzy or delayed in their reporting.
Speaker:The brilliant news however, just like you can upgrade your security system, you can
Speaker:train these systems to work better together.
Speaker:When one system becomes weaker, the others can learn to pick up the slack, but only if
Speaker:you give them practice.
Speaker:That is exactly what balance training does.
Speaker:Just like running drills for your internal security team.
Speaker:The good to no corner.
Speaker:All right, let's get to the good stuff.
Speaker:Effective balance training doesn't require your attendance at yoga classes or access
Speaker:to specialized equipment.
Speaker:You can do simple exercises right in your living room in just a few minutes a day and
Speaker:improve stability, strength and coordination.
Speaker:Even while watching your favorite show.
Speaker:I'm going to give you my top picks, starting with the easiest and building up.
Speaker:One the classic, the single leg stand.
Speaker:This is your bread and butter exercise.
Speaker:Stand behind a sturdy chair, hold on lightly and lift one foot off the ground, balancing
Speaker:on the other leg.
Speaker:Start with 10 seconds, work up to 30, then switch legs.
Speaker:Too easy.
Speaker:Try it with your eyes closed, but keep that chair handy.
Speaker:The goal isn't to look like a flamingo forever.
Speaker:It is a challenge your balance system progressively.
Speaker:Two heel to toe walking or tandem walk.
Speaker:Imagine you are walking on a tightrope, but it's just a straight line on your floor.
Speaker:Place one foot directly in front of the other with the heel touching the toe.
Speaker:Walk forward 10 steps, then backward.
Speaker:It's harder than it sounds and that's the point.
Speaker:If tightrope walking is too hard, a good progression is the tandem stance.
Speaker:So stand with one foot directly in front of the other, heel to toe and hold the position
Speaker:for as long as possible.
Speaker:Switch the leading foot and repeat.
Speaker:Use a chair for balance.
Speaker:For added challenge, close your eyes or stand on a soft surface.
Speaker:Three, the standing march.
Speaker:This one's sneaky good.
Speaker:Stand tall, then lift one knee toward your chest, hold for a second, lower it down and
Speaker:then switch legs.
Speaker:It's like marching in place, but slower and more controlled.
Speaker:Your core will thank you later.
Speaker:This exercise helps with balance during dynamic movement.
Speaker:Four, sit to stand.
Speaker:Sit in a sturdy chair with feet flat on the floor.
Speaker:Stand up without using your hands if possible, then sit back down slowly.
Speaker:Repeat.
Speaker:You'll get better leg strength and functional balance.
Speaker:Five, the gentle sway of weight shifts.
Speaker:Stand with your feet hip width apart.
Speaker:Shift your weight to your right foot, lifting the left slightly off the ground.
Speaker:Hold for 10 seconds, then switch.
Speaker:Then try forward and back.
Speaker:It's like a slow motion dance with gravity.
Speaker:Six, toe and heel raises.
Speaker:Stand behind a chair for support.
Speaker:Rise up onto your toes and hold for a few seconds, then lower and rock back onto your
Speaker:heels, lifting your toes off the ground.
Speaker:Repeat.
Speaker:Seven, the clock reach.
Speaker:This is where it gets fun.
Speaker:Imagine you are standing in the center of a giant clock face.
Speaker:Lift your right leg and reach it toward noon, then three o'clock, then six o'clock, then
Speaker:nine o'clock, all while standing on your left leg.
Speaker:Reach legs and do the other side.
Speaker:The beauty of balance training is that you can do it anywhere.
Speaker:Brushing your teeth, stand on one leg, waiting for coffee to brew, practice your heel to
Speaker:toe walking, commercial break during your favorite show, perfect time for some weight
Speaker:shifts.
Speaker:A good strategy for these small but effective exercises is to habit stack them.
Speaker:Attach these exercises to things you are already doing.
Speaker:It's much easier to remember that way and before you know it, balance training becomes
Speaker:as automatic as checking your phone.
Speaker:The good to no corner.
Speaker:As with all exercises, safety is essential.
Speaker:The same applies to balanced exercises as well.
Speaker:Always have something sturdy nearby when you are starting out.
Speaker:A kitchen counter or solid chair, even a wall will do.
Speaker:Wear non-slip footwear.
Speaker:The goal is to challenge yourself not to end up on the floor wondering what happened.
Speaker:Start easy and progress gradually.
Speaker:Rome wasn't built in a day and your balance won't be perfect in a week.
Speaker:However, I promise you that if you stick with it, you'll notice improvements within just
Speaker:a few weeks.
Speaker:And please, if you have any medical conditions or concerns about balancing or falling, chat
Speaker:with your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise program.
Speaker:Once you have mastered the basics, there are tons of ways to keep challenging yourself.
Speaker:Yoga and Tai Chi are fantastic for balance.
Speaker:They are like meditation for your balance system.
Speaker:Pilates is another great option that combines balance with strength training.
Speaker:Even simple activities such as dancing, walking on different surfaces or playing catch can
Speaker:help keep your balance sharp.
Speaker:The key is variety.
Speaker:Keep your balance system guessing.
Speaker:To get yourself a good kickstart, try this simple morning routine.
Speaker:First, 30 seconds of a single leg stance for both legs each.
Speaker:Then one minute of heel to toe walking.
Speaker:Then 30 seconds of standing marches.
Speaker:Then one minute of weight shifts.
Speaker:And the last 30 seconds of the clock reaches for each leg.
Speaker:That's it.
Speaker:Five minutes and your balance system is awake and ready for the day.
Speaker:So there you have it.
Speaker:Balance training isn't complicated.
Speaker:It doesn't require fancy equipment and it absolutely works.
Speaker:Whether you are 50 or 90 or even 40, whether you consider yourself athletic or haven't
Speaker:exercised in years, you can improve your balance.
Speaker:Remember, start small, be consistent, stay safe and be patient with yourself.
Speaker:Your future self, the one who's confidently navigating life without fear of falling, will
Speaker:thank you.
Speaker:This was Scale to Fit, fit in your 50s with Marko Lindgren.
Speaker:All sounds are made by me.
Speaker:Send us your feedback via email at feedback@scale2.fit or visit potrace.com/scale2fit to leave a rating.
Speaker:Don't forget to check the show notes at scale2.fit.
Speaker:All the links are there.
Speaker:Thank you for tuning in.
Speaker:[Music]
