Welcome Fall. No Thank You!

Let me explain. I embrace the Fall season but not the act of falling and its possible consequences! More than 250,000 Canadians report fall-related injuries yearly. And most fractures occur from a fall. A simple fall can cause a serious fracture of the wrist, spine, ankle or hip. If you avoid the fall, you reduce your risk of breaking a bone. One way to prevent tumbles is to improve your balance. Your bones and body benefit from better balance!

Good balance is important to help you get around, stay independent, and carry out daily activities. When you’re young, the idea of not being able to stand up or walk without falling seems far-fetched. However, that’s a risk that grows increasingly more likely the older you get and the longer you go without making good physical balance a priority.

Here’s a quick test. Stand on a flat surface with your hands on your hips and your weight on one foot. Get a friend to watch you as you hold that position for 30 seconds. Test the other leg. Now if that was too easy, do it again with your eyes closed! If you fail the test, the test becomes the exercise.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, whether you’re in your teens or in your senior years, I encourage you to find fun and engaging exercises that challenge your balance and strengthen your muscles that you can do every week either on your own or with a group. To get you started check out these exercises!

http://www.iofbonehealth.org/news/how-improve-your-balance