Fitness, Falling And Senior Balance Exercises

Do You Need Senior Balance Exercises?

By Suzanne Stoke, Physical Therapist @ Exercise For Balance via www.exerciseforbalance.com

  Healthcare professionals advocate that older adults participate in fitness programs including senior balance exercises. Please see     http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now Recently polled senior citizens relate that they feel that because they are physically active, they probably have adequate balance. A recent study, however, showed that that might not be the case. According to Dr. Rein Tideiksaar, aging individuals who exercise on a regular basis often feel that they’re safe from falling. But according to a new report, being fit may not be enough to avoid falls. Even if elders are physically active, their balance may still be inadequate to avoid a fall. According to Dr. Tideiksaar there appears to be little relationship between how many hours an elder spends exercising and how well they do on balance tasks. In order to reduce fall risk, elders need to specifically work on their balance. The reason for this is that as we age, one’s ability to balance declines. There is no single reason for this, but weakening eyesight and muscles, and physical changes in the brain, all play a role.  Balance requires the coordination of vision, the inner ear, and sensations through the feet and legs. Muscles must be strong, flexible, and work in a coordinated fashion to help stop the body from falling. With age, muscle mass and strength in the hips and legs decreases, mobility in the ankles, knees and hips is reduced, and reflexes and reaction times are slower, leading to the reduced ability to “catch” oneself when falling.  But poor balance can also be related to other factors, such as certain health conditions and medications prescribed that can make individuals dizzy. In fact, a decline in balance can be an important indicator of health problems.  Also, having a fear of falling may can increase the risk of poor balance. Persons with a fear of falling, typically restrict their mobility and become more sedentary. As a result, this lead to weak leg muscles and poor balance. The best way to work on your balance abilities and to reduce the risk of falling is to perform certain senior balance exercises every day.

Senior Balance Exercises For Fall Reduction

   To decrease the potential of a fall, healthcare providers like doctors, nurses and physical therapists recommend that older adults rehearse senior balance exercises on a regular basis. You can practice walking down a hallway heel to toe to increase the speed and strength of the balance reactions at your feet and ankles. You can learn how to do this tandem walking and other senior balance exercises by following along with the instructions of a qualified Physical Therapist in the Exercise For Balance DVD.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    Even if you are physically fit, you can enhance your stability by  getting started on a course of the best balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD. The healthcare provider recommended Exercise For Balance DVD is a high quality instructional DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The easy to understand and simple to follow Exercise For Balance DVD includes  a step by step series of the latest balance and strength exercises necessary to optimize senior fitness and to carry out basic daily activities like shopping, doing laundry,  walking, standing, cleaning house, stair climbing or to advance to more difficult pursuits like skiing, dancing, playing golf and hiking. In the  comprehensive Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve stability, how to apply steadiness techniques and how to safely execute balance routines from a  qualified balance specialist --- licensed Physical Therapist---who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 25 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

Be fit and safe by starting balance exercises today with the Exercise For Balance DVD to improve balance and prevent falls.
For more information see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health-information/