The Importance of Balance as we Age. Test Yourself.

I know how bad my balance is without any test.

In 2012 I was diagnosed with Grade II Spondylolisthesis which is a condition where one vertebra slips out of place compared to another in the spine and it hasn’t improved.

My marching orders from everyone in the medical profession is to keep doing barn work as I need every bit of muscle I can garner.

I have created so many workarounds to put fuel in the tractors & 4 -wheelers, and take care of my horses that I even surprise myself, but I’m not “laying down” as the saying goes.

i am 77, I have arms and shoulders of a forty year old and a lower back of a 110 year old.

And no, my back is so trashed I am inoperable, and I wouldn’t do that if it were. I’m not even sure there’s enough left for stem cell, if I could afford stem cell.

Don’t take “standing on one foot for granted- not even if it’s only a few seconds.
 

I can do over sixty seconds on either leg....as long as I don't look around, changing my focal point starts me wobbling.

I have to admit that I do squats on a wobble ball a few times a week, so I've been practicing. When I first started I had to hold on to something because my balance was so bad, with practice I'm good at it now.Screenshot_20250429_165640_Chrome.jpg
 

C50 said:
I can do over sixty seconds on either leg....as long as I don't look around, changing my focal point starts me wobbling.

I have to admit that I do squats on a wobble ball a few times a week, so I've been practicing. When I first started I had to hold on to something because my balance was so bad, with practice I'm good at it now.View attachment 419697
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Excellent!
 
Seriously though, just how often does one have a need to stand on one leg? I can't think of one time in my entire life.
 
I think that the peripheral neuropathy in my feet limit the proper 'feedback' needed to do one-legged balancing. But age still matters, several of my Yoga classmates that are over 70 have almost as much difficulty as I, with the one-legged balance.
 
Muskrat said:
@Trade …you have obviously never ran barefoot and stepped on a sticker.
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Dude, I grew up in Florida. I must have run into sandspur patches a million times barefoot when I was a kid. I guess standing on one foot probably wasn't a problem when I was 7 years old. But it is now. But I figure as long as I can ride my motorcycle without dropping it I'm OK.
 
FYI - high arches can lead to ankle instability, which in turn affects your balance. So if you're having problems with Yoga Tree Pose, maybe your arches are the reason.
 
I notice my balance is very poor when I close my eyes, like when washing my hair in the shower. I have to make sure I am holding onto something.
 
I never could stand on one leg. Despite doing things like Yoga and Tai chi. I have recently started going to a chiropractor who has diagnosed scoliosis (which nobody with one exception ever bothered to spot in me before) and also now am doing balance exercises. Today I am to get a Swiss Ball which is supposed to help with balance.
 
Here I am at the gym today. I saw an athlete doing bosu sqauts w a kettlebell, but the bosu was on top of a swiss ball, so I came up w this easier version. No weight for me of course at this stage till my balance catches up and I get full depth in the squat. I did 2 sets of about 10 squats each, it'll be something I'll play around with till I get good at it.


StackedBosusquats.jpg
 
againstthegrain said:
Here I am at the gym today. I saw an athlete doing bosu sqauts w a kettlebell, but the bosu was on top of a swiss ball, so I came up w this easier version. No weight for me of course at this stage till my balance catches up and I get full depth in the squat. I did 2 sets of about 10 squats each, it'll be something I'll play around with till I get good at it.


View attachment 436194
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Nice! I'm going to have to try that.
 
Keep light on in the house. Dark is the first risk. Also stuff sitting around.
Number one risk for a trip are pets. Especially cats. They swarm, bump you.
Having catch handles in hallways, bathrooms, entrances and steps are wise.
Practice routinely using them. They are just dumb objects without your participation.
Never downplay the importance of sturdy handles to grab onto.

Never take for granted that an unplanned route is a safe one.

Look at it this way, the difference in a AC bill of 72F verses 76F a month is less than $30 / $50.
 
againstthegrain said:
Here I am at the gym today. I saw an athlete doing bosu sqauts w a kettlebell, but the bosu was on top of a swiss ball, so I came up w this easier version. No weight for me of course at this stage till my balance catches up and I get full depth in the squat. I did 2 sets of about 10 squats each, it'll be something I'll play around with till I get good at it.


View attachment 436194
Click to expand...
Ur apt to fall of that contraption and break an arm or jaw.
 
C50 said:
I can do over sixty seconds on either leg....as long as I don't look around, changing my focal point starts me wobbling.

I have to admit that I do squats on a wobble ball a few times a week, so I've been practicing. When I first started I had to hold on to something because my balance was so bad, with practice I'm good at it now.View attachment 419697
Click to expand...
It's sort of wicked how we pick our own poisons.
 

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