How to prevent falls as you age.

You need to exercise!

Everybody tells you to exercise. It is the safe thing to tell people. Exercise is good for everybody, at every age or condition in life. It is good for your heart. It will keep you young. It will make you feel good. You have heard it all and it may or may not have been enough to get you moving with your own exercise program. We are creatures of inertia and somehow the slide into decrepitude is slow enough that we can rationalize not starting that exercise program because we are still ok.

I learned something new.

I have that same problem and it is hard for me to start – and stick with- an exercise program but I learned something that changed my whole attitude. There are exercises that can help prevent falls.

Falls for seniors can be avoided!

We all know people who in their senior years fell. Maybe it was in the shower. Maybe on the stairs. Maybe even just getting up from a chair or walking around the yard. Whatever the reason, a fall for a senior is never trivial and often changes a healthy active person into an invalid. Old bones are easy to break and hard to heal. Joints almost never heal satisfactorily for oldsters. Then too, there is the much more delicate balance between body functions and health for the oldster. One break and the changes can cascade through the body upsetting the delicate balance of health and triggering other problems. It is so much better never to fall in your senior years and spare your body all that stress and those years as an invalid.

Exercise can prevent falls

Lately, I have been reading about exercise that can maintain the bodies ability to maintain balance and keep you from falling during normal daily activities. They are all simple exercises that require no special equipment and can be built into daily activities. One of the best is a good, old-fashioned walk. Walking, it seems, is good for everything and a daily walk should be part of every persons regimen. In addition to the heart and aerobic benefits from a good walk, walking helps the body maintain its ability to balance weight and make adjustments for different ground levels. These abilities are what we need to keep balance when the footing is wrong.

Exercise to strengthen important muscles and maintain balance

In addition to the daily walk, A good formal exercise program for seniors is Tai Chi which is often available from community centers and YMCA’s and can keep good muscle tone and balance for seniors. Studies have demonstrated the benefits of Tai Chi in preventing senior falls. The Mayo Clinic has a good introduction to balance exercises at its website for people who want to create their own program. The damage from a fall can be devastating and destructive to an active senior lifestyle. It is also preventable. Don’t risk the active lifestyle you want by neglecting some simple exercises. Use the resources in the links and start your own program to be fall-proof.

Learn more about the benefits of Tai Chi from personal experience.