The Best Balance Advice I Ever Heard

A friend of mine, Pommy MacFarlane PhD, who runs a balance training program at a university, told me this story of a new client. An older gentleman came to her program stating that he had fallen frequently over the past year and wondered what to do about it. Pommy asked him to describe these falling incidents. He explained that he typically tripped at home and would fall forward but it all seemed to happen in slow motion at the time. He had plenty of time to think about what was happening but just didn’t know what to do about it. Pommy told him that the next time he tripped he needed to tell himself “Hey dummy, take a step!” and then proceeded to show him how to take a big step forward in order to stop his fall. The man apparently didn’t think much of her advice and left without much discussion. However, he showed back up again several weeks later and excitedly told her that he tripped again at home but this time he heard Pommy’s voice inside his head telling him “Take a step dummy!” and so he did. He took a big step and stumbled forward a bit but didn’t fall. The man was so pleased with this result that he joined the balance training program and over the course of the next year never fell again.

Pommy’s advice may seem trivial but it is, in fact, brilliant and effective. Many people describe falling as this slow motion event during which they reach for objects to grab onto but fail to do the one thing that could keep them safe…taking a step to catch themselves. I have used this advice with many clients and believe it works. Now of course you have to be strong enough in the legs to stop your forward momentum but that is something that you can work on in your exercise program. Exercise movements such as chair stands, split squats, lunges and step-ups are all very effective for improving leg strength.
Here are some more obvious, but effective, bits of balance advice to keep you from falling.
• Turn on the lights – Many people fall at night when they get out of bed and head to the bathroom. Either turn on the lights or keep a nightlight on during the evening.
• Get off the meds – Taking four or more medications of any kind increase risk of falling. Taking anti-hypertensive, depressant or anti-psychotic medications individually also increases risk of falling. Talk to your doctor about the possibility of cutting out or cutting down on the number of medications you have to take.
• Focus – Performing any standing activities while distracted increases fall risk. This includes texting, talking on the phone, or even talking with friends. During activities that are challenging try to stay focused on completing them successfully while ignoring distractions.
• De-clutter – Secure loose rugs, electrical cords and other trip hazards in the home. Most falls occur in the home so make it as safe as
• Be Confident – Believe it or not, a person’s risk of falling increases as their confidence to perform tasks decreases. In fact, I worked with one woman for several months who didn’t have any major physical limitations or problems but fell simply because she was scared of falling and therefore performed tasks way too cautiously.
Sometimes the best advice is really the simplest. But no advice will do any good if it isn’t used so get out there and do it!

Cody Sipe, PhD is an award-winning fitness professional and university professor with expertise in functional aging. He is the founder of the Functional Aging Institute and creator of the Never Grow Old Exercise Program. He gives functional exercise advice and tips on his blog at www.functionalfitnessolution.com/blog.

Category: Blog