{"id":1841,"date":"2021-03-16T15:10:05","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T19:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asbury.org\/asbury-methodist-village\/blog\/2021\/03\/16\/improve-balance-leg-strength\/"},"modified":"2021-03-16T15:10:05","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T19:10:05","slug":"improve-balance-leg-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asbury.org\/asbury-methodist-village\/blog\/2021\/03\/16\/improve-balance-leg-strength\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Steps for Improving Balance &amp; Leg Strength"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"blog-copy\">\n<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-3221\" src=\"https:\/\/www.asbury.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/balance_exercises_for_seniors_225_225_c1.jpg\" alt=\"rocks\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" \/><\/em><strong>By Dennis Poremski, Director of Well-Being, Asbury Solomons<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Falls and fall-related injuries are unfortunately more common among older adults as a variety of age-related changes happen to our bodies.\u00a0 The fear of falling can lead some to limit their social interactions outside the home, decrease physical activity and, in turn, lose even more \u00a0agility, strength and balance. Experiencing a fall can be a major cause of disability, loss of independence and pain.<\/p>\n<p>As the Director of Wellness at <a href=\"\/asbury-solomons\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Asbury Solomons<\/a>, a retirement community in Calvert County, Md., I work with people on a daily basis who regularly practice balance exercises and work\u00a0on building leg strength. It is very possible\u00a0to improve your balance, mobility and, often, confidence. The following are some exercises Asbury\u2019s wellness teams practice with residents living in our retirement communities. Remember to try these with a sturdy chair or some other support nearby.<\/p>\n<p>Seated Leg Extensions \u00a0(Complete 2 \u2013 3 sets of 3 with each leg.)<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Sit in a chair with your back supported and cross your ankles.<\/li>\n<li>Using the leg on the bottom, lift up and extend both legs.<\/li>\n<li>The top leg will provide the resistance.\u00a0The bottom leg will complete a \u201clow arc\u201d motion and do most of the work.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat about 10 \u2013 15 repetitions.<\/li>\n<li>Switch legs.\u00a0 Repeat.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Shifting Balance \u00a0(Repeat 3 \u2013 5 times in each direction.)<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Stand with legs about shoulder width apart and one hand on or just above a sturdy, stable chair or other hand hold.<\/li>\n<li>Shift your weight (don\u2019t bend at your waist) forward and backward slowly.<\/li>\n<li>Now proceed to shift weight in a clockwise fashion from right toes to right heel to left heel to left toes.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat.\u00a0 Switch direction.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>5 Stage Tandem Series (Repeat 3 to 5 times \u2013 hold each stage for 5 to 10 seconds.)<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Put both feet together side by side.<\/li>\n<li>Take a small step forward with your right leg. Hold.<\/li>\n<li>Move your right foot in front of your left as if walking a tight rope. Hold.<\/li>\n<li>Bring feet together again and take small step backwards with right foot. Hold.<\/li>\n<li>Move your right foot behind your left as if walking a tight rope. Hold.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat all steps with left leg.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Single Leg Stance\u00a0 (Repeat 3 to 5 times.)<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Focus on a point on the wall.<\/li>\n<li>Lift one foot off the ground forward, backward or sideways. Hold for up to 30 seconds.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat with other foot.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Dennis Poremski, Director of Well-Being, Asbury Solomons Falls and fall-related injuries are unfortunately more common among older adults as a variety of age-related changes happen to our bodies.\u00a0 The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asbury.org\/asbury-methodist-village\/blog\/2021\/03\/16\/improve-balance-leg-strength\/\" class=\"more-link\">&#8230;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  4 Steps for Improving Balance &amp; Leg Strength<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>4 Steps for Improving Balance &amp; 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