Ways to Improve Your Balance

A fifty-year-old friend tumbled down her stairs and broke a few ribs. She said that she'd lost her balance. Another friend, on vacation in Florida away from her desk job, went for a run, stumbled, injured her knee, and had to be pushed to the airport gate in a wheelchair to fly home. Cousin Kathie slipped on the stairs and broke a wrist. Another friend fell from a horse on the beach, broke a rib and pierced a lung.

To help maintain a sense of balance:

• When standing in line, practise standing on one leg, then the other. See how long you can maintain your balance on each foot. Try it with your eyes closed.
• When going for a walk, try "tight-rope walking" along an imaginary rope on the sidewalk, one foot in front of the other. Don't "fall off" the line.
• My friend bought a Wii system to improve her balance playing fitness games.
• Try balancing a book on your head, dancing, or learn simple ballet or yoga poses.