How to train balance as you age
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Balance is more than just sensory and relies on adequate strength, flexibility and coordination.
PHOTO: AMANDA LUCIER/NYTIMES
Keith Mulvihill
- Balance relies on the systems of vision, inner ear and proprioception, plus strength and flexibility, all of which weaken with age but can be improved through exercise.
- Start with strength and flexibility exercises like push-ups and lunges, then add balance activities such as tree pose and dynamic movements.
- Vary routines to challenge balance systems and cognition; activities like dancing, slacklining and sports improve overall stability and mental engagement.
AI generated
NEW YORK – Like many men his age, Adam Grosowsky begins his workouts with stretching.
What comes next is a bit more unusual: He wrestles himself into a wetsuit and swims across the Row River, near his home in Eugene, Oregon. Then he sets up a slackline and really gets to work: walking, turning and swaying on a thin band of webbing 4.6m above the river, surrounded by a cathedral of old-growth trees.