Balance Alone Won’t Prevent Falls
The Missing Skill All Women Need
Good balance isn’t the only skill you need for lowering your risk of falling.
You also need coordination.
One in four adults over 65 report falling every year, and those falls can lead to broken bones, hospital stays, or even worse.
In fact, falling is the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and over.
But most falls can be prevented!
When you don’t have good coordination, you’ll find yourself in lots of precarious situations that unnecessarily put your balance to the test.
Fortunately, with consistent practice, you can improve your coordination, so you don’t have clumsy moments and fall.
JUST ONE THING
What is coordination?
Coordination is simply the ability of different body parts to “talk” to each other effectively.
Your JUST ONE THING to lower your fall risk
Consistently practice moves that require coordination
Like patting your head while rubbing your tummy—coordination is what allows your brain to tell one part of your body to do one thing while another part does something else.
Your nervous system is constantly sending and receiving these kinds of signals, even when you’re not aware.
For example:
• Your right hand swinging forward while your left leg steps ahead.
• Your core muscles firing a split-second before your foot lifts to keep your spine steady.• Your right foot planting at the ideal width apart from your left foot so they don’t hit when you walk.But when you lack basic coordination, you end up feeling clumsy and more likely to fall.
Don’t worry, you can train it!Here are some simple moves that you can practice that will improve your coordination—they’re actually great for balance, too.
3 Drills for Better Coordination (& Balance!)
- Grapevine – 20 steps each way; practice precise placement with each foot.
- Skater Steps – 6–8 per side; pause & balance with each step.
- Knee to Chest Hug – 6–8 per side; lift up onto your tippy toe for an extra challenge.
Extra Tip: Add these moves to your warm-up! Your workout will feel more stable and controlled if you fire up your nervous system first so every body part is communicating with each other properly. (Watch closely and you’ll notice a LOT of professional sports teams do coordination moves in their warm-ups, too!)
Did You Know...
- “Postfall syndrome” is having increased anxiety around falling and a fear of falling as a result of a traumatic experience with a fall. It can lead to being less active, mobile and ultimately more dependent on others. But daily coordination drills can help gain back your confidence.
- If you have bladder leakage, you can actually train your pelvic floor muscles to engage a split second before you step, cough or sneeze to support your bladder and other pelvic organs. So yes, you have coordination in your pelvic floor!
- We lack the most coordination when moving sideways. Our anatomy is primarily designed to move forward, so unless we train lateral movements (side to side), these actions can feel really clumsy.
Until next week... Be strong💪
