Improved balance and stability is often a happy side effect of any workout, but it’s also worth including some sessions specifically focused on your stability in a training routine, especially as you get older.
Along with boosting your balance, this 10-minute workout from physical therapist Jessica Valant strengthens the lower body and your arms, and it will help to increase your coordination and confidence in everyday movements and when doing strength-focused sessions.
For the workout, you need to be close to a chair or counter that you can support yourself on at times, and you also need a light weight. If you have a light dumbbell, then that’s perfect, but you can also use a full water bottle or a can of soup.
Watch Jessica Valant’s 10-minute balance workout
Valant does the workout with you, leading you through a series of exercises that are focused on improving balance and stability.
That means several moves done on one leg, or working each side in turn, along with compound exercises like squats that are great for strengthening the big muscle groups in the lower body.
There are a lot of factors that go into good balance, and not all of them can be improved by one workout, but this session will build confidence and strength in key areas of the body for your balance and coordination.
Throughout the workout, you have the option of supporting yourself with the chair or surface you’re standing nearby, but if you can do the movements without needing that extra support, then all the better.
You can start by using the support, and then slowly progress over time until you’re able to do the full 10-minute workout without using it at all.
The dumbbell or weight you use will also help you to progress the workout when required. Holding a weight on one side means the deep stabilizing muscles in your body will be working harder to maintain your overall balance.
This is a short, low-impact workout that’s suitable for all fitness levels, and the fact that it isn’t too demanding means that it’s one you can do regularly without pushing yourself too hard.
To gain the biggest benefits from the workout for your balance, do the workout several times a week, or even every day. Over time, you’ll notice the improvement in your stability and independence.
If you’re interested in building functional strength and balance in particular, then it’s also worth checking out these three moves that Tom’s Guide’s resident personal trainer, Sam Hopes, uses to train her 72-year-old dad.
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