Good exercises to improve balance?

Balance is a crucial ability, especially as we age. Every year, over 300,000 people are admitted to the hospital for broken hips, most often due to falling. Hip fractures often lead to disability and loss of independence. To avoid becoming one of this, add balance exercises into your physical activities.

Safety – Before You Start

Always hold onto a chair or table when with one hand when trying a new balance exercise. As you improve, you can just rest your fingertips on the table or chair. Also, have someone next to you when doing balance exercises for the first time – the person can help steady you or catch you if you fall.

Side Leg Raise

1. Stand behind a table or chair, with feet at shoulder width.

2. Hold onto the table or chair for balance.

3. Lift your right leg to the side about 12 inches (or as far as is comfortable) while keeping your back and both legs straight. Hold for several seconds.

4. Repeat with your left leg and continue until you’ve done 10 with each leg.

Hip Flexion

1. Stand behind a chair or table and hold on for balance.

2. Bend one knee slowly toward your chest.

3. Hold for 1 second and then lower slowly.

4. Repeat with the other leg and continue until you have done 12 lifts with each leg.

Heel-To-Toe

Walk while placing the heel of one foot just in front of the toe of the other. Hold onto to a table or counter while trying this.

One Foot

While holding onto a chair or table, stand on one foot, then switch feet.

well i broke my ankle a little while back and the physical therapist did some balance exercises to build my balance back up.these included simple exercises like standing on one leg for perlonged periods of time,and more advanced ones like standing on a uneven surface(like a cusion) on one leg while she would get me to catch a ball. Here is a good test to evaluate your own balance. Stand up and imagine you're going to walk forward on a straight line, placing one foot directly in front of the other so that the heel of your front foot touches the toes of your back foot. Keep both feet flat on the floor. Hold that position and close your eyes. If you can maintain your balance for 30 seconds, you are doing pretty well. If you are wobbling just about as soon as you close your eyes—or before—your balance is poor dont worry if you dident do well,I completely lost my balance when i broke my ankle,but build it back up again and am now able to do freerunning and skatbording again.if theirs a gym near you and you want to spend the money you could use any equipement they have like balance bords ect,or mabe buy something online(have a search around on google) however its fine to build your balance up naturaly without any equipment,simple exercises like balanceing on one leg,laying out a line of tape or somthing on the floor and walking along it until you can do it without putting your feet outside the line,or walking alone small walls,catching things on one foot.try holding your ear lope when your on one foot,this should help. more advanced,you could walk alone railings,or catwalk alone them(crawl),start a martal art,capoeira,taekwondo ect.give it a search anyway,the internet is yours

Try to balance books on your head, over time try to hold them on longer. Eventually, add more books. It might seem old-school, but it helps.