Here is follow up info from our healthy lunch in April of 2017.  

 

Drills for improving ones balance:

1.Standing with feet together and arms crossed over chest, close your eyes and count to 20. Repeat 5 times.

2.Standing in a toe/heel pattern with arms at 90 degrees for balance, move forward for several feet. As you become confident drop arms down to your side for even more of a balance challenge.

3.Same as #2 but walking backwards with same toe/heel pattern.

4.Standing on one leg, move arms slowly in different directions - overhead, lifting arms up from side to front of body. Challenge balance by adding a soup can or a very light hand weight. (Make sure legs do not touch each other while in balance stance).

5.The 5 dot drill is to imagine you have a dot in front, on each side of you and to the back while standing in the middle of dots. Point foot to all the different dots slowly as well as crossing one foot over the other to touch dot to your side.

6.Walking with your normal gait move head from side to side.

 

Many examples for improving balance can be found by searching YouTube, "Balance for Seniors."

~Yvonne Skinner, Personal Trainer, Shasta Family YMCA