A lot of things begin to change as we age. Our balance is one of those things. As I re-discovered yesterday in my new Body Movements class, my balance is not very good. On scanning the web, I discovered that more than one-third of people over 65 will fall. Of course, breaking a hip is very serious. I read that balance exercises can help prevent falls by improving your ability to control and maintain your body’s position, whether you are moving or staying still.
At my wife’s suggestion, I began my body movement class for seniors at our local college. The class is intended to improve daily function through a variety of exercises. During the first session, I “felt” all the muscles that I had forgotten I had. I was surprised because I thought my swimming and the exercises I do in my pool, were sufficient to keep me in good shape. Hah! No such luck! One of the exercises was to walk heel-to-toe on a line on the gym floor. It’s true that there were others who had some difficulty with this maneuver, but I navigated the line as if I were drunk! I had to do something!
Conveniently, there are tiles throughout my house, and that means “walkable” grout lines. I set up a program for myself, and began to score four parameters.
At this beginning stage, I am wondering, “What if I do not improve over time and trials?” My answer is that I will commit to making an appointment with my doctor. Now that I don’t really want to find out if there is anything neurologically wrong with me, I will try to stick to my balance-tracking program.
I will train my balance by touching the wall or a chair with one finger while balancing, doing leg raises and hip extensions, which research says can improve balance. I’ll make a prediction: With training, I will improve my scores by at least 50 percent each week. Now all I have to do is DO IT.
Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com
