Being Mindful about Balance and Stability During Fall Prevention Month

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September is Falls Prevention Awareness Month and you can use this opportunity to assess your risk of falling and to take proactive steps to keep yourself safe.

If you’ve been noticing difficulty with walking on uneven surfaces, stairs, or curbs one way to target building strength is by working on your single leg balance. 

These five videos focus on single leg progression and is great for anyone who is looking to improve their balance and stability while on one leg!

Single Leg Stand to Single Leg March

  • Shift your weight into one leg, and push through the standing leg, bringing your opposite leg to hip height
  • Try to hold for at least 5 sec
  • Alternate legs
  • Modification: Keep a chair nearby to grab it, if you feel unsteady

Single Leg Stand

  • Focus your eyes on a target in front of you
  • Place your weight into one leg, and push through the standing leg, bringing your opposite leg to hip height
  • Hold for 10-30 sec at a time
  • Alternate legs
  • Hold for 10-30 sec at a time
  • Modification: Keep a chair nearby to grab it, if you feel unsteady

Single Leg Stand on Towel

  • Fold up a towel to stand on
  • Focus your eyes on a target in front of you
  • Place your weight into one leg, and push through the standing leg, bringing your opposite leg to hip height
  • Hold for 10-30 sec at a time 
  • Alternate legs
  • Hold for 10-30 sec at a time
  • Modification: Keep a chair nearby to grab it, if you feel unsteady

Single Leg Stand with Eyes Closed

  • Place your weight into one leg, and push through the standing leg, bringing your opposite leg to hip height
  • Close your eyes
  • Hold for 10-30 sec at a time
  • Alternate legs
  • Hold for 10-30 sec at a time
  • Modification: Keep a chair nearby to grab it, if you feel unsteady

Waiter Bow

  • Extend your lifted leg behind you
  • Keep your back and pelvis leveled
  • Aim for 5-10 in a row
  • Alternate Legs
  • Repeat

Try one, or try them all. If you live in New York, you know that walking through the streets can be quite uneven. The risk of falling or losing your balance due to cracked sidewalks are out there. Strengthen up with just a few minutes a week for a lifetime of injury prevention.

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