3 Brain Changes That Affect Balance

Senior Balance Exercises For Aging Individuals

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

   As we head into our "Golden Years", many older individuals expect to experience changes in their brain that affects their stability with walking and can be improved with practicing senior balance exercises. Please see more information at www.exerciseforbalance.com/buynow  In our 60s and 70s, we often begin to notice changes in the body that can include muscle weakness, joint stiffness, decreased lung capacity and changes with memory. Many older adults experience not only general forgetfulness, difficulties remembering names and places as well as experiencing other cognitive changes including dementia and Alzheimer's disease. In addition, there are other more subtle behind the scenes changes that occur that can affect steadiness, mobility and general quality of life. Three examples of changes in the brain that specifically relate to balance abilities include:

1) Decreased speed, efficiency and accuracy of information integration in the brain, including all the necessary information that helps with balance and dizziness.

2) Decreased sensitivity of the inner ear vestibular system that monitors how the body moves in space and how the body is positioned in space.

3) Decreased visual acuity and visual input that informs the brain about the events going on in the surrounding environment.

  These declining facilities affect the incoming information into the brain that is part of the balance system. Furthermore, there are also aspects of aging that affect the outgoing information from the brain to the muscles in the body that are part of the balance system. As an example, as we age the message from the brain to the body to tell the muscles how to contract and compensate for obstacles or for walking on  uneven ground slows down in speed and efficiency. In addition, the muscles in our legs and core area become weaker with age which also leads to decreased balance abilities and a greater risk for falling. Thankfully, we can compensate for these changes in our brain and body by diligently practicing senior balance exercises every day.

Senior Balance Exercises For Later Years

     Medical researchers have found that those older individuals who perform certain senior balance exercises on a consistent basis are able to enhance their steadiness and reduce the risk of falling and injuries that occur with Falls. Older adults can practice equilibrium routines in the comfort of their own home. One example of a steadiness exercise that you can rehearse at home involves standing near a sink, counter or table on one foot. This single leg standing exercise should be repeated three times on each foot for about twenty seconds. By practicing this single leg standing exercise, you will be able to increase the necessary leg strength, ankle mobility and balance reactions needed for safely completing activities of daily living. Rehearsing the single leg standing routine will also help you develop steadiness for all standing and walking activities.  You can learn how to correctly perform this single leg standing exercise and other senior balance exercises by following the direction of a knowledgeable physical therapist in the exercise for Balance DVD

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    To fight against the changes that come with age, get 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

Stay steady 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/