As We Age, Our Balance Deteriorates—Here Are 13 Effective Exercises to Boost Balance and Stability

You might not give much thought to your balance—until you lose it, or you're struggling to hold your pose in yoga and trying not to fall out of eagle pose. But balance isn't just about being able to stand on one leg in a yoga class. In fact, it plays a crucial role in nearly everything you do, regardless of your age or fitness level.

Why Balance Is Crucial for Our Well-Being

Balance is essential for enhancing overall fitness, improving quality of life, and preventing injuries, discomfort, and pain. Our often-overlooked balancing ability is a fundamental aspect of performing daily tasks, such as walking, running, or simply standing up from a chair. Research indicates that your ability (or lack thereof) to execute these mobility skills is a strong indicator of your risk for more severe outcomes down the road, including falls, hip fractures, and hospital stays, explains Jonathan Bean, MD, MPH, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.

"Improved balance allows you to stop with control, regain momentum, and react swiftly," says Joshua Bonhotal, MS, CSCS, strength coach and vice president of performance at Future Fit, a digital personal training service. As we age, our capacity for quick muscle contractions diminishes at twice the rate of general strength decline, Bonhotal explains. Additionally, if you aren't actively working on your balance, this decline can speed up.

How Balance Functions in the Body

Maintaining balance while walking, running, jumping, or standing requires muscle strength. "Balance, in terms of its role in daily activities, relies largely on the ability to rapidly engage your muscles to stabilize or create the movement you need," explains Bonhotal.

Our muscles not only provide strength but also help keep our bones and joints in alignment, allowing us to stay upright. But achieving balance also requires the coordination of three key sensory systems:

• The first is the visual system, which helps us interpret what we see.
• The second is the somatosensory system, which involves nerve receptors that allow us to feel and touch objects and also gives us a sense of our body's position in space, a process known as proprioception.
• The third is the vestibular system, a small but intricate inner ear structure that responds to gravity.

Input is received from all three systems, but for most people, the visual system takes precedence. What we see in front of and around us sends a series of neural signals that instantly reassure us: Everything in your surroundings is upright and aligned, and so are you. "This is why balancing on one foot with your eyes closed is so difficult for many people," says Fabio Comana, a lecturer at San Diego State University's School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences. "However, this is also why balance training often includes closing your eyes. Without the visual system, the other two sensory systems can strengthen."

How to Enhance and Sustain Optimal Balance

By our 30s, we start losing essential muscle mass, and the visual, somatosensory, and vestibular systems experience age-related decline. "The decrease begins slowly, but by age 65, it drops significantly," says Tanvi Bhatt, PhD, associate professor of physical therapy at the University of Illinois Chicago's College of Applied Health Sciences.

This is where balance training becomes important. It’s similar to learning an instrument: "You need to form proper neuromuscular connections—connections between your brain and muscles," says Jonathan Cane, an exercise physiologist and founder of City Coach Multisport, a New York City-based endurance-training service. "Then, you must practice to prevent those connections from weakening."

While your balance may fluctuate day to day—due to injury, muscle fatigue, soreness, or lack of sleep, as Bonhotal points out—the key is to practice regularly. Aim to work on it every day, or at least every other day. Start small, like standing on one leg while brushing your teeth, or try picking up dropped objects while keeping one leg lifted behind you (as you progress, challenge yourself by raising the elevated leg higher). If you're short on time, space, or energy, a simple yet effective exercise is standing on one leg with your eyes closed as long as possible until you lose your balance (time it!), then switch sides. Over time, you'll notice improvements in your balance as you practice consistently.

In general, Bonhotal suggests that you're already benefiting from balance training if you're performing movements like these during your workout:

• Single-leg exercises (such as step-ups)
• Exercises involving split stances, like lunges
• Exercises with an unbalanced load, where you're holding or moving a weight on just one side
• Core exercises

If any of these exercises are part of your regular routine, you may only need an additional five to ten minutes of focused balance training on days when you're not doing them. However, if you want to incorporate more targeted balance work into your life, here are some excellent exercises that can help build your balance and stability.

Balance Exercises

1. Spinal Alignment

Experts unanimously agree that the first step is to ensure your spine is properly aligned for effective movement and injury prevention. To check your spine's alignment, Comana advises, "Stand near a wall with your heels touching it. If you're aligned, your tailbone, shoulder blades, and the back of your head should all make contact with the wall in a neutral position—not tilted either up or down."

If, like most people, you don't make contact with all three points, try this:

Grab a 36-inch foam roller or a rolled-up beach towel. Lay it on the floor, then lie on it lengthwise so that your head, spine, and tailbone rest on it. (If your head tilts backward, place a firm pillow or a second towel underneath it.) Bend your knees and relax your arms by your sides. Stay in this position for five minutes, letting gravity pull your shoulder blades down. Practice this twice a day and check the wall test weekly until you can touch all three points.

2. Stationary Lunges

Begin with your feet set shoulder-width apart. Step forward into a lunge, keeping your back heel raised off the ground. Lower both knees, bringing your back knee toward the floor, while ensuring your spine stays straight. Push yourself back into the starting position, and then alternate legs, repeating with the opposite leg in front. Perform 10 reps per side, switching which leg is forward. (You can add weights as you advance.)

3. Isometric Lunges (or Split Squats)

Begin by positioning yourself on the floor in a half-kneeling stance, with your right knee and shin on the ground and your left foot firmly planted in front. (Ensure both knees form 90-degree angles and your hips are aligned.) Keeping your right foot grounded, lift your right knee just slightly off the floor and hold this position (it should resemble the bottom of a stationary lunge). As you hold, maintain an upright chest to keep your shoulders aligned with your hips.

Start by holding for 5 to 10 seconds per leg, working up to 30 seconds without resting. Perform two to three sets for each leg. For an added challenge, gradually increase your hold time until you can maintain the position for five minutes per leg.

4. Heel Raises (Calf Raises)

Stand tall with your feet no wider than hip-width apart. Position yourself near a wall, sturdy chair, railing, or another supportive surface in case you need balance assistance. Engage your core and maintain a neutral spine (avoid rounding forward or arching backward). Slowly lift both heels off the ground, rising onto the balls of your feet. Hold for a brief moment at the top, then lower your heels slowly back to the ground. The lowering phase is a critical part of the exercise, so control the movement rather than rushing it. Repeat 10 times and complete 3 sets of 10.

5. Heel-Toe Walk (Tightrope Walk)

Walk in a straight line with control, as though you’re walking on a tightrope. For each step, place the heel of your front foot directly in front of the toe of the opposite leg, ensuring there’s no gap between them. Walk 10 steps in one direction, then turn around and take 10 steps back to your starting point. Complete three sets (walking to and from counts as one set).

To increase difficulty: Keep your gaze forward, avoiding looking down at your feet; alternatively, try walking backward.

6. One-Leg Standing With Eyes Closed

Stand upright in a neutral position, close to a wall or another support structure that you can grip for stability if necessary. Close your eyes, lift one foot slightly off the floor (there’s no need to raise it too high), and maintain your balance for as long as you can. You can time yourself, count in your head, or track your breath cycles. Begin by holding for 5 to 10 seconds, then gradually work up to 20 or 30 seconds as you get better.

7. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Begin by standing with your feet about hip-width apart. If you can, try balancing on one foot. If you feel wobbly, start by positioning one foot about two foot-lengths behind the other, with the knee of the front (or supporting) leg slightly bent. Keep your back straight and hinge at the hips, reaching forward with both arms extended toward the floor. Return to the standing position and repeat on the other leg. (For more challenge, you can add weight as you improve.)

8. High Plank With Shoulder Taps

Start in a high plank position on the floor with your hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width. (For a modified version, bring your knees to the floor as if preparing for a push-up.) Engage your core, lift your right hand off the floor, and tap your left shoulder. Lower your hand back to the ground and switch sides, alternating taps to the opposite shoulder. Keep your hips stable and avoid shifting your weight. Perform 10 reps per side.

If you're finding it difficult to maintain balance, try spreading your feet wider apart. For a greater challenge, bring your feet closer together or attempt the exercise with one foot lifted off the ground.

9. Bird Dogs

Start on all fours with your wrists aligned directly beneath your shoulders and knees aligned under your hips. Engage your core and extend your left arm forward while simultaneously extending your right leg behind you. Keep your back flat, like a table, ensuring it remains straight and not rotated as you raise each leg. Hold this position for five counts, then repeat with the opposite arm and leg. Alternate sides, aiming for five reps on each side.

10. Curtsy Lunge With Oblique Crunch

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, placing your fingertips behind your ears with elbows extended out. Step your right leg behind you, lowering your right knee until it hovers just 1 to 3 inches above the ground (this forms a curtsy lunge).

Maintain your balance on your left leg, then lift your right knee toward your right elbow (being careful not to rotate your hips), and slightly bend your torso to the right as you execute an oblique crunch. Return to the starting position and repeat 12 times. Switch legs and repeat the exercise.

11. Single-Leg Step-Ups

Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart in front of a set of stairs, an exercise box, or a step. Step up with your right leg, bringing your left knee toward hip height. Pause at the top for a moment without placing your left foot back on the box. Lower your left foot down first, followed by your right foot, returning to the starting position. Perform 10 reps, then switch legs and do another 10 reps. Complete three sets for each leg.

12. Standing Crunch With Under-Leg Clap

Begin by standing with your feet together. Shift your weight to your right foot while lifting your left leg in front of you, keeping your knee bent at a 90-degree angle and raised to hip height. Reach your arms overhead and press your palms together. Bend forward at the waist as you clap your hands under your raised left leg, then extend your arms back overhead while keeping your knee lifted. Complete 10 claps on one side (without lowering your left foot). Switch to the other side and repeat.

13. Tree Pose

Stand in a neutral position, then inhale deeply and press the sole of your right foot against the inside of your left calf. Exhale while keeping your right knee extended outward. Hold the pose for 20 seconds while breathing deeply, then release. Repeat on the opposite side, placing your left foot against your right calf.

How Balance Changes With Age

We often associate age-related balance issues with elderly grandparents, but the decline in balance can begin long before we reach retirement age. As we get older, our vision, including depth perception and peripheral sight, starts to diminish. Additionally, proprioceptors throughout the body become less responsive, meaning we don’t pick up information as quickly or accurately. As a result, our reaction times slow, making us more susceptible to falls.

Feeling this slowness can lead to apprehension, which may be why the lively energy of youth turns into a cautious shuffle with age. On top of this, the vestibular nerve endings in the inner ear can degenerate over time. Technology, too, plays a role in disrupting our balance at any age. Constantly looking down at our phones can cause a misalignment in the neck, making it difficult to see far distances. The physical misalignment weakens muscles and stability. These effects are even becoming more noticeable in younger individuals, including college students, as noted by Comana.

The good news is that regardless of your age, "with consistent practice, you can either maintain or even improve your balance," says Bhatt.