People who write to us about balance usually describe a moment: a wobble on the kerb, a hand out for the banister, a step onto the bus that needed a think. And they usually assume the fix is to practise standing on one leg. That is part of it. The bigger part is strength.
What balance is made of
Balance is not one thing. It is your eyes, your inner ear, the feeling in your feet, your reaction speed, and the strength to act on all of it. When you catch a wobble, it is the muscles around your ankles, hips and trunk that do the catching, in a fraction of a second. If they are weak, the message arrives and there is nothing to answer it with. That is why the people who cannot stand up from a chair without their hands rarely have great balance, and why leg strength is the first thing we work on.
Three things that make you steadier
- Leg and hip strength. Sit to stand, step-ups and squats to a box, loaded a little more each week. These build the muscles that catch you.
- Practising the wobble, safely. Standing heel to toe at the kitchen counter, then on one leg with a fingertip on the surface, then without. Short, daily, and always with something to hold within reach. The NHS balance exercises linked below are a good home set.
- Moving with a load. Walking with a weight in one hand, then in each hand. Your trunk learns to hold you steady while the world moves, which is what a kerb or a crowded pavement asks of it.
Our guide to improving your balance has the home exercises in detail, and getting up from the floor safely is the skill that removes most of the worry.
Two numbers to watch
- Single-leg stand. How many seconds you can stand on one leg, eyes open, hand hovering over the counter. Ten seconds is a good first target.
- Chair rises in 30 seconds without using your hands. This is a leg-strength number, and it moves quickly with two sessions a week.
When to see your GP first
New dizziness, a spinning feeling, unsteadiness that has come on over days rather than years, or a change in medication around the time the wobbles started are all worth a GP visit before you start training. Some balance problems are an ear or a prescription, not a muscle.
Frequently asked questions
Is walking enough for balance?
It helps, and it is not enough. Walking uses the muscle you have at a level it can already manage, and it never asks you to catch yourself. Strength work and a little deliberate wobbling do.
I am nervous about training if my balance is poor.
Everything starts with support: a box behind you, a counter in reach, a coach beside you. You do not stand on one leg in the middle of a room until you have earned it on the numbers.
How quickly does it improve?
The single-leg stand often doubles within a month, and chair rises climb with it. Steadiness on the kerb follows, usually without you noticing the day it happened.
References
- NHS. Balance exercises. nhs.uk
- NHS. Strength and flexibility exercises. nhs.uk
- NHS. Physical activity guidelines. nhs.uk
