Balance exercises after 50.
The right balance exercises are the ones at the edge of what you can hold, done for a few minutes on most days next to a wall or a chair. Start with the one leg stand: ten seconds with your eyes open, then as long as you can with your eyes closed. Your times set your level.
Your time sets your start.
- Stand next to a wall or a sturdy chair.
- Eyes open: arms by your sides, free foot against the back of your standing leg, ten seconds.
- Eyes closed: arms crossed, free foot near your ankle. Time it until the foot goes down, your eyes open or your arms move. Best of three.
Health note. This page is general information to help you exercise, not medical advice, and the result is not a diagnosis. Ask your GP before you start if you have a heart condition, get chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when you exercise, or have been told to limit exercise. If you get dizzy, have had a fall in the last year or feel unsteady on your feet, see your GP before you start. Stop if anything hurts or you feel unwell.
One level at a time.
- Level 1: with support. One leg stand with a fingertip on a worktop or a chair back. Up to 30 seconds a side, three times. Heel to toe stand: one foot directly in front of the other, by a wall. Up to 30 seconds, then swap feet. Slow sit to stand from a chair, arms crossed. Five to ten times, taking three seconds to sit.
- Level 2: no hands. One leg stand, hands free, near a wall. Build to 30 seconds a side. One leg stand while you brush your teeth, a minute a side, morning and night. Heel to toe walk along a hallway, ten steps forward, eyes on a point ahead.
- Level 3: less to look at. One leg stand, eyes closed, next to a wall. Three tries a side, timing the best. One leg stand turning your head slowly left and right, ten turns a side. One leg reach: stand on one leg and touch the floor ahead, to the side and behind with the other foot. Five each way.
- Level 4: an unsteady surface. One leg stand on a folded towel or a cushion, eyes open, then closed. 30 seconds a side. Single leg hinge: on one leg, tip forward from the hips with a flat back, then stand tall. Eight a side. Step down slowly from the bottom stair, holding the rail, taking three seconds to land. Eight a side.
A few minutes on most days, next to support. Move up when your level feels steady, and retest every four weeks.
Balance drops with age. It also trains.
Key facts
- In a study of adults aged 51 to 75, about one in five could not hold a ten second one leg stand. Araújo 2022 (BJSM)
- With eyes closed, the average best time is 12.7 seconds at 40 to 49, 8.3 at 50 to 59 and 4.4 at 60 to 69. Springer 2007
- In 59 trials of people aged 60 and over living at home, exercise cut the rate of falls by 23%. Balance and functional exercises cut it by 24%. Sherrington et al. 2019, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
These figures describe groups of people, not a forecast for any one person.
Balance, and four more.
The Five Minute Baseline adds a floor sit and rise, push-ups, an overhead squat and waist to height, each against the average for your age.
What people ask first
What is the best balance exercise for over 50s?
The one leg stand, made a little harder each time it gets easy: with a hand on a chair, then hands free, then eyes closed, then on a cushion. Start at the level your own time puts you at.
How often should I do balance exercises?
A few minutes on most days. It fits into things you already do: stand on one leg while you brush your teeth, or while the kettle boils.
How long should a 60 year old stand on one leg?
With your eyes open, ten seconds is the line the research used. With your eyes closed, the average best of three is 4.4 seconds for people aged 60 to 69.
Is it safe to practise balance at home?
Always practise next to a wall or a sturdy chair. If you get dizzy, have fallen in the last year, or feel unsteady on your feet, see your GP before you start.
Twenty minutes, with me.
We talk about your week, your health and what you have tried before. If the programme fits you, I will say so. If it does not, I will say that too.