Top 11 Exercises to Reduce the Risk of Falls

Two common causes of falls are weakened muscles and poor balance. As we age, our muscle mass naturally decreases and so does the level of physical activity we undertake. This impacts our strength and balance, increasing the risk of falling.

However, there are exercises that you can easily do at home that can improve strength and balance to help reduce the risk of falls. We’ve listed some of these exercises below.

When doing these exercises, ensure you have a sturdy chair, countertop or other piece of furniture nearby that you can hold to help support you.

1. Leg bends
Standing up straight, bend one of your knees and bring your foot up behind you into a 90-degree angle. Slowly lower your leg and place your foot back onto the floor.

Repeat this 2 to 3 times before switching legs.

2. Knee bends
Standing up with your knees slightly relaxed and back straight, begin to slowly bend your knees to lower yourself. Once you reach a comfortable height, gently bring yourself back into a standing position.

Hold on to something for balance and ensure your knees are always pointing in the same direction as your toes
Repeat this 2 to 3 times.

3. Leg side lifts
Again, ensure you are holding on to something for support. Stand up straight before lifting one leg slightly to the side and holding it there for a few seconds. Slowly lower your leg to the floor again.

Repeat this 2 to 3 times before switching legs.

4. Heel raises
Hold on to something or place your hands against a wall for balance. Slowly rise up onto your toes, hold for a few seconds and then lower your heels back to the floor.

Repeat this 2 to 3 times.

5. Sit to stand
Choose a sturdy chair with arms that you can use for support if you need it that won't slip backwards. Sit in the chair and then try to stand up without using your hands.

Repeat this 2 to 3 times.

If you find it difficult to do this without your hands, try placing a cushion on the chair to increase your starting height until you build up some more strength.

6. Side twist
Use two chairs for this exercise, placing one on each side of you, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Keeping your toes, knees and hips facing forward, turn your entire upper body and head to one side and touch the chair with both hands.

Repeat this movement, touching the chair on your other side.

Repeat this 2 to 3 times.

7. Marching in place
Hold onto something sturdy, ensuring you will have enough space in front of you to lift your knees up as you march.

Holding on and standing with your back straight, lift one knee up towards your chest before placing your foot down and repeating with your other leg.

Aim to use your muscles to bring your knees up rather than momentum.

Repeat this a couple of times.

8. One leg balance
This is very similar to the leg bend but involves balancing. Standing up straight, bend one of your knees to bring your foot up behind you into a 90-degree angle. Hold your leg in this position for around 10-15 seconds before slowly lowering your leg and place your foot back onto the floor.

Repeat this 2 to 3 times before switching legs.

Begin by holding onto a sturdy surface for support with both hands and, as your strength and balance improves, reduce this to one hand and then no hands.

9. Toe heel balance
Stand in between two sturdy chairs and bring one foot directly in front of the other. Hold this position for around 10 seconds.

As your balance improves, you can begin to increase the gap between your feet, whilst still keeping them in line with each other.

10. Hip circles
Hold onto a sturdy surface. Keeping your legs and upper body as still as possible, make a big clockwise circle with your hips.

Repeat this a couple of times before performing the exercise in a counter clockwise direction.

As your balance improves, you can place your hands on your hips whilst you do this exercise.

11. Heel-toe walking
Use a countertop for balance – stand with one side towards the counter and hold it with the closest hand. Focusing on a spot directly in front of you, place one foot directly in front of the other (heel to toe) and walk forward in the same way, placing the foot directly in front of the other (heel to toe).

Walk the length of the counter before and then turn around, with the counter on your other side, and repeat the steps in the other direction.

As you become more confident and improve your strength and balance, you can increase the repetitions of each of these exercises.
Take a little time each day to do them, spending a little more time on those you find more difficult.

You could also consider group exercise sessions to maintain a level of physical activity, in particular tai chi.

Tai chi helps to improve balance by working on both strengthening your muscles and improving your coordination. It also aims to strengthen the mind, which can be a great mental boost particularly if you have lost confidence after a fall.

So, give these exercises a try and let us know how you get on!