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- Balance exercises can be performed daily and in your own home. You can start out with simple balance activities and increase the difficulty as your balance improves.
- Each year, U.S. hospitals have 300,000 admissions for broken hips, and falling is often the cause of those fractures. Balance exercises can help you stay independent by helping you avoid the disability, which is often permanent that may result from falling.
- Poor balance has been found to be associated with all the following health care problems: Low back pain, Neck pain, Arm numbness and tingling, Chronic ankle pain or instability, Acute ankle sprains, Chronic knee pain or instability, Osteoarthritis of the knee
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Lifetime Workout - Balance
at 11:55AM, 1:55PM, and 3:55PM
Remember the excitement when you got your first bicycle. You now had the ability to disobey your parents and travel past the boundaries of your neighborhood without getting caught. Oh the excitement! You could explore new places and still be able to make it home in time for dinner because you now have a fast means of transport. But then came the quick realization that you had to learn to balance on those two wheels. Balance is one of the elements of lifetime fitness. Suzanne talks with Steve West about some exercises to improve balance. Like the freedom of your first bicycle, a smart exercise program with exercises for balance can help you stay healthy, stay mobile, look and feel better. Staying Mobile and Active There are many different activities available for active seniors. Most of them require some degree of balance. Horseback riding, cycling, martial arts, yoga, jogging and many others are fun and enjoyable ways to stay active. Balance helps with these activities and uses your muscles to adjust your body to different situations so you do not fall and become injured. People who are younger have a forward and backward movement to their bodies when balancing. As we grow older our bodies change and this movement moves from side to side. This results in a dangerous circular motion. By doing balance exercises it will strengthen the joints and joint range of motion that will keep someone from moving from side to side. This eliminates the dangerous circular movements. Exercises such as a side leg raise with a chair will help to strengthen your balance and your confidence. A person will be more willing to try new and exciting things if they are confident that they will not fall and be injured. Balance Exercises When doing an exercise routine balance exercises are often overlooked, but falling is the leading cause of injury-related death and hospitalization in people over the age of 75. Regular balance exercises can help to reduce the risks of falling. These exercises can become a normal part of ones life, such as brushing your teeth. Steve West shows Suzanne some of the exercises that help to strengthen ones balance. There is no equipment needed, all that you need is a chair. These exercises include: calf raisers, chair stand, side leg lift and rear leg lift. These exercises can be completed easily every day. Work out with a friend to stay motivated and mark your work out on your calendar. Remember to start slow and take the time it takes to get your body used to daily exercising.
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