As we grow old, our body become weaker and somewhere it shows signs also like greying of hairs, face expressions, body looks weak and many other. These are visible signs but what about not visible signs that body is dealing with such as mobility and balance issue that slow down the regular movement.

It seems like Balance and Mobility is similar but understand it as Balance and Mobility are two sides of same coin; you can’t overrule any one of them. However, good balance makes life easier and vice versa.

With respect to our lifestyle, we often sit more rather than move that makes our strength and mobility decrease and thus we are more prone to falling and hurting ourselves. In addition, our weight gain also contributes and increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and heart diseases.

Why Balance Declines with Age

There are many reasons that effect balance problems that becomes common with age. Even adults are more likely to experience balance disorders and dizziness that causes disbalance and makes easy task difficult. Those are:

1. Alcohol – Consumption of alcohol can affect your body and balance, as you feel the dizzy and unsteady that leads to fall and thus an injury.
2. Ear Problem – Inner ear infection or any inflammation in ear can make you feel dizziness, vertigo often and leads to balance issue.
3. Medications – Some high dose medications such as high blood pressure, antibiotics, antihistamines and sleep aids that causes dizziness. Regular consumption of high dose medicine makes body weaker and thus makes it difficult to walk properly without any support.
4. Other medical conditions – Problems such as stroke, vision problems, paralysis, and other conditions can also impact your ability to balance as it makes difficult to move.

How exercise helps in Balance and Mobility

There are many aspects where regular exercise provides fruitful benefits in your old age. Those are:

1. Balance Training

With aging, the falling has become one of the most concerned problems as body loss the control of balance while walking on uneven surfaces, getting up from a chair, and many more. However, exercise that are focused on balancing give stability. Such exercises are-

• Single leg standing
• Heel to toe walking
• Step ups
• Standing exercise

These exercise helps build the balance that lacks due to long sitting and makes body more flexible and stronger.

• Mobility Training

Mobility refers to your movement; how effectively you can move your body. A good mobility helps with everyday activities and vice versa. If mobility is the challenge, then the basic movement such as bending down, reaching overhead, climbing stairs, taking a turn; becomes difficult and you feel the pain in every movement. With regular exercise that focuses on mobility will help you maintain the bodily movement and relaxes the common areas that become stiff with age such as hips, ankles, shoulders, and spine. A proper mobility exercise that combined with flexibility, joint movement will help the body with age and make it lighter.