4 balance exercises for older adults

Active Ageing
18 October

At Perform Better, we’ve been in the fitness industry for a long time, and as such we know just how important staying fit and healthy is when you’re heading into your twilight years. That’s why we’ve put together a list of our 4 favourite balance exercises for older adults!

We also offer an extensive range of balance and stability products, as well as fitness courses that teach personal trainers and other fitness professionals how best to train the ageing population to be fit and active for life, including:

All of our courses are taught by trained professionals and will provide great benefits to anyone in the fitness industry, allowing you to tap into a vast and untapped market – training for older adults. If you want to be one of the elite few personal trainers to establish themselves as an authority with the ageing population, then you need to act now!

Perform Better Pro-Ed (previously QPEC) has a combined 70+ years experience in the Health and Fitness Industry. Our dedicated team of Fitness Professionals thrive on training, coaching and imparting our knowledge with the latest research, education, training tools and methods. Browse our fitness courses and sporting equipment today.

Physical activity guidelines for older people

Before getting stuck into our favourite balance exercises for older adults, let’s look at what the physical activity guidelines for older people are.

Here is what Health Direct recommends for older adults:

Aim for about 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days, but any amount of activity is beneficial — even just a few minutes.
Strength and weight-bearing activities can increase bone density, helping to prevent osteoporosis.
Consider exercising with a friend, and choose activities you enjoy, to help you stay motivated.

Being active helps us to stay healthy both mentally and physically. Be sure to prioritise exercise in your daily life! It’s vital in order to extend your healthspan. Now, let’s look at a few of our favourite balance exercises for older adults.

4 Bosu Ball balance exercises for older adults

When it comes to balance training, at Perform Better, we believe there’s no better piece of equipment than the Bosu ball. The BOSU Ball Balance Trainer is an innovative exercise trainer for anyone who wants to stay fit. Perform Better Pro-Ed has many years of experience in the Health and Fitness Industry and is committed to ensuring our users get the most out of their BOSU Balls and fitness training regime.

Here’s a breakdown of some of our favourite Bosu Ball balance exercises:

The “Catch Yourself Game”

Stand in front of your Bosu Ball, bladder side up, feet hip-width apart and hands up by your shoulders, palms facing forward.
Step one foot forward onto the ball, tilting your body forward.
Bounce back into your standing position, and repeat with the other foot.
As you get comfortable with the movement, try and place more and more weight onto the ball with each step by tilting your body further forward. Make sure you don’t fall over!
Repeat for each leg 6-8 times.

The “Rocking Hips Game”

Stand to one side of your Bosu Ball, bladder side up. Place the foot nearest the ball onto the bladder.
Using your hips, apply pressure onto the Bosu ball and release – be sure to try and keep your shoulders level!
After performing 6-8 reps on one side, swap sides and repeat.

The “Bouncing Knees Game”

Stand in front of the Bosu Ball, bladder side up.
Put your hands on your knees and lower yourself into a squat position.
Reach your hands forward onto the Bosu Ball, reaching past the logo.
Place your knees onto the ball and transfer your weight to your knees. You can keep your toes planted to the ground, or lift them for more of a challenge.
Straighten your body until your back is straight and weight still on your knees, hands up by your shoulders, palms facing forwards.
Slowly reverse the position by placing your hands back onto the ball, walking them back as you place your weight back onto your feet, then straighten your knees to stand upright once again.
Repeat the full movement 8-12 times.

The “Hot & Cold Game”

This game requires the help of another person, although we give a solo alternative at the end.

Standing in front of your Bosu Ball, place one foot onto the bladder, staying balanced on your other leg. The ball is “cold” to start.
When your partner yells “hot!” you must take your foot off of the ball, holding it in the air until they say “cold!” again, when you can then place it back onto the ball.
Play the game for about 30 seconds on each side.

If training solo, try this:

Standing in front of your Bosu ball, place one foot onto the bladder, staying balanced on your other leg.
Lift your foot off of the ball, holding it in the air.
Place it back down onto the ball.
Repeat 10-12 times, doing 5-6 fast repetitions and 5-6 with a 5-second pause at the top and bottom.
Change sides and repeat.

Perform Better can provide you with all your balance training needs as you get older

Not only do we offer an extensive range of sporting equipment, but we also provide a variety of fitness courses that allow personal trainers and other fitness professionals to become accredited in how to train the ageing population.

We aim to set service and quality benchmarks for addressing the needs of Fitness and Health Professionals, Coaches and Trainers. We do this by providing premium products, hosting innovative accredited educational opportunities, and embracing excellence in customer service and business solutions. So if you’re looking for the best in fitness courses and sporting equipment, look no further – Perform Better have what you’re after

Author

Perform Better Pro-Ed

Perform Better Pro-Ed (previously QPEC) has a combined 70+ years experience in the Health and Fitness industry. Our dedicated team of fitness professionals thrive on training, coaching and imparting our knowledge through the latest research, education, fitness equipment, nutrition and training methods.

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