As we age, it becomes more important to prioritize physical activity and exercises that will help maintain balance and strength. Maintaining your strength and balance can help reduce the risk of falls and injuries, allowing you to age gracefully. Today, we have shared with you a few balance and strength exercises that you can try!  

1. Sidestep  

  • Start this exercise by facing a wall and placing your hands on the wall for support.  
  • With your toes pointing straight in front of you towards the wall, take a step sideways.  
  • Keep taking side steps until you reach the end of the wall and then go back in the other direction, remember to take slow and controlled steps for improved balance.  

2. Standing Leg Raises 

  • To start this exercise, stand behind a chair for added support.  
  • Lift your right leg straight out in front of you, remember to keep your knee slightly bent. 
  • Hold for a few seconds, lower your right leg, and then repeat on the left leg.  

3. Heal-To-Toe Walking 

  • To begin this exercise, place your right foot directly in front of the other ensuring that your heel touches the toe of the left foot.  
  • Continue walking with heal-to-toe in mind, try to aim for about 20 steps.  
  • Don’t forget to hold onto a wall or chair for added support.  

4. Marching in Place  

  • Ensure that you have sturdy support nearby.  
  • Begin marching in place slowly.  
  • As this becomes easy, you can challenge yourself by marching in place on different surfaces.  

5. Seated Leg Lifts 

  • Start this exercise by sitting down in a chair with your back straight, feet on the floor, and arms by your side.  
  • Lift your right leg straight in front of you, hold for a few seconds, then slowly lower back down.  
  • Repeat on your right leg, doing about 10-15 repetitions on each leg.  

These five balance and strength exercises are perfect when trying to maintain your balance and strength and you can safely do them at home! At ThedaCare, we provide a variety of daily living aids that can help make aging in place easy and safe. Browse our online catalog to view our entire selection of products and be sure to contact us with any questions you have.