Best balance exercises 

1. Heel to toe for 20s 2. Balance on one foot for 20s 3. Heel to toe walking 4. Backwards walking

Thank you for your wisdom. My balance is terrible as i get older. By miracle i have managed not to fall (yet). I have often wondered if there were exercises to work on my balance and I am so thankful to have found your YT vids. You have improved the health of the world at large by your philanthropy and knowledge. Wishing you the return of your goodness.

I just celebrated my 79th birthday last week and was delighted to see that I can do all four of these exercises easily. I come from a family that lives a long long time and I'm really focused on staying strong.

Hi from Australia. This is a great set of exercises. Recently had balance tested with a chiropractor and was horrified. Am 75 but only stopped full time work 3 years ago so was very active. Covid & being restricted to a tiny granny flat really affected my health & had gone to chiropractor initially as also developed Vertigo. Had no idea that inactivity could cause so many problems. Not just mental health issues governments should be looking at since lock downs - mobility & strength courses should be made available to maybe prevent costs incurred to governments further down the track.

Thank you. At 75 I can do all of these without hanging on to anything. I have been walking backward uphill on my walks as a way of simulating leg extension. Also regularly walk on the curbing for moderate distances during my daily walks. I feel better about myself after watching this.

Great video and have started doing these. Your videos are short, concise & informative

Great video. Equilibrioception is a quality I've been teaching for over a decade: it's far more important than strength training. (Lose your sense of balance, and all the strength in the world becomes useless.) I have to say the final exercise - Reverse Walking - is predominantly a Proprioception drill: extremely worthwhile, even so. Proprioception, like Equilibrioception, is another quality which declines with age but can be improved by practice. Both 'ceptions rely on Neuroplasticity; and, for both, I use an inverted Bosu - Nothing enhances physical and neural adaptation faster than a destabilized body.

Roller skating on a regular basis is by far the greatest activity for improving balance.

This is really helping me. I’m already got decent balance, but this improves it for real no nonsense good thank you.

Being doing these exercises as my balance has not been good since I became concussed when 11. Now 64 I feel my balance improving after only a few weeks.

Your videos are giving me hope. I walk with a cane and have no confidence when I'm anywhere other than at home. I can do the 20 second standing on one leg (touching once in a while when using my weak leg) & I can do the hoe to heel stand for 20 seconds. I'm going to keep going w/ those and add the others as I progress. I definitely think it will increase my confidence and stop the shuffling. I lost 125 lbs. simply by counting calories so know I have the determination to get in fight mode and do the exercises I need to do to improve my mobility.

Husband recentely diagnosed with Parkinsons, has been going for PT about 2mo. is done this week and may want to see him in 2-3 mo.! This kind of sums up what he's been doing and I'll follow up on=lline so we can keep him moving in right direction.

Thank you for this 🙏 I have been doing these exercises every morning evening for a few weeks now and I am beginning to see a real improvement in overall balance and dexterity.

Thank you very much. I will try to include the 4th exercise in my daily workouts. I practice the other ones, besides I walk sideways (while facing a wall etc.). I first walk to the left by first putting my right foot to the left of my left foot etc, as if crossing the legs, then, after a few steps, I change the direction and start putting my left foot to the right of my right foot. I have multiple sclerosis (secondary progressive) - the lack of balance and permanent fatigue are the most debilitating symptoms in my case.

I haven't been able to balance on one leg my entire life. As a kid, my friends and I would try to see how far we could walk on a railroad rail. I was always the one that couldn't go over a couple of steps. I'm 81 now and still can't. I walk an hour every morning with my dogs. This morning after watching this video, I tried to walk backwards and had no problem. I did it several times up to 40 steps backwards. No problem. Still can't balance on one leg. This has never caused me any problems. I just have never been able to do it. I used to powerlift and at one time was squatting over 400 pounds. I can still do a pistol squat but have to hold onto something for balance. I have come to the conclusion the problem is somewhere in my hip area. I have the feeling this will remain a mystery. Enjoyed the video. Thank you sir.

I will definitely add this to my daily regimen. Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.

Very good exercises to improve balance. Walking backwards, however, is really easy for me.

Greatest video ever for balance. I have vestibular disorder and have been feeling off balance at 66 years of age. I will start doing them everyday. I hope they will improve my balance.

Great advice to put weight over standing leg really helps !

for those who cant afford P.T. i have a slow method to offer you to improve your balance. its outdoors too. along a sizable stretch of grass ... a yard , or a park walk in circles. i dont mean a 10' diameter circle. but the one that comes from turning around in place. a 360. then try and do this on the move. slowly to start with. i do this with hiking poles to catch when i start to fall over. then and now. watch out for cans or rocks or whatever on the grass. as slamming into something with your foot while it is moving sideways can quickly injure your knee. this began for me 4 years back after a knee injury. when the treatment was simply to walk sideways in the same grass setting. one side then do a 180 and lead with the other foot. the idea to do circles came later on. now i do both. walk sideways 3 cycles , do a 180 and repeat. then do 3 360's on the move. it is something i now realize is using knee and hip muscles like never before. and also think of balance as a 'muscle' that needs worked out too. after 4 years i do this with way less wobble than when i started. my knee is healed to where i can kick start my 100cc dirt bike w/o it hurting in a year or two you will be advanced enough to try it on plain old hard ground. this opens up more places for practice. and , again, look ahead 20' to make sure nothing is there to run into. one thing i've added in an ongoing evolution of this practice is during the moving 360's is to close my eyes. except at the end of one turn i'll do a snapshot opening to get my bearings ( i tend to walk in a arc line with eyes closed ) then re-close them. there's more ... so far i've done 10 360's in a row without the periodic snapshot. when i'm on a big grassy field , say a soccer one. where the turf is uniform

I am going to try this very hard. Thank you.

Thank you very much Doctor for sharing your knowledge. This is very true what you said about balance. GOD ALMIGHTY BLESS YOU AND YOUR WHOLE FAMILY INSHA-ALLAH AMEEN 🙏🏿❤🙏🏿❤🙏🏿

Very simple exercise. It can be done without any supervisor. Many thanks for suggesting this exercise.

I can stand on my right foot for more than 20 seconds, but on my left foot, only 6. I’m surprised at my improvement compared with a couple of years ago. I’m much encouraged by this. Thank you so much.

As a PT for 42 years I found it most important for patients to learn how to recover from a stumble. Usually they cross legs before falling. So I have them cross their legs and get a nudge to where they have to UNCROSS to recover. I secure them by holding a gait belt during this. But my assistance is not supportive unless they need it. Have the patient stand in front of a wall feet close together and push them backwards so they have to make a step backwards to recover. Sometimes patients have unlearned how to do this and fall backwards like a tree being cut down. Make a soccer ball out of a couple rolled towels and duct tape. As you secure them with a gait belt but not enough to assist in their balance have them dribble the ball with small kicks across the room. A regular ball would be kicked away hence the towels. This requires them to be developing one leg stance and balance reflexes that are dynamic. Have the patient grab a cane horizontally with you doing likewise with the same cane.You ask them to push or pull you until you have to take a step. They are allowed to step in anyway to disturb your balance. They are the aggressor. They have to challenge their balance skills but they don’t think about it as they are trying to best you. Have them step up onto and then the next step off a 4-7 inch jazzercise step. Repeat many times. You of course lightly hold the gait belt around them.

thank you so much for your commentary about the Loudon County results, John. - Davaid

3 years ago I had a spinal cord injury. I'm really hoping I can improve with your exercises. I hope to walk again. I walk with a walker atm.

Excellent, I will work these exercises into my daily routine.

I'm 92 and really need to work on my Balance , than k you so much

This video was so helpful thank you ❤

Got to try these exercises; I know standing on one leg for many seconds is already hard for me. 👍

Thanks a lot! - *Pretty ingenious - and very surprising. I didn't think it would be difficult* to keep your balance with these exercises. Well, try it yourself 🙂.

-thanks from Austria!

Thanks

Hi I am from India. I practice it.Awesome result! Congrats for making this video.

Thank you so much for this, my balance has become poor since starting on my new hear med, I am sure this will help me rebuild my balance.

Thank you so very much for this. I’m going to be doing these exercises daily.

THANK YOU FINALLY SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS FOR ME!!!!

Sincere thanks for sharing this informative video. 🤗

Hello Doug, fantastic exercise to improve balance and a challenge seniors should be thankful. In my case, Doug, I am 86 years old with a foot drop, and living with my wife only and fell down a few times since the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, and now have to use a walking cane. So can you advise what method can I use for a senior with a footdrop?

Doug,this was a brilliant tutorial. I am going to start now and will give my feedback after four weeks to see the results for my balance.Thanks very much.

Thanks so much for this

I strongly believe these exercises will surely do affected people a world of good.

Thank you so much for this useful info. Greetings from Uruguay!

Your Videos are GREAT! They're very encouraging and have given me hope when I was getting pretty discouraged. Thank you!

Many thanks 👍🏻

Thank you!

tHANKS FOR THESE EXERCISES.....

Wow, these are some great ideas. I just had Total Knee Replacement at 72 years old, the right knee, mid Feb, 2023. I have learned that better posture helps. Look forward 20, 30, 50 feet. Don't look down at your feet. At night, point your flashlight out ahead of you, not down at your feet. Point positive. Look positive. Like you would riding a bicycle, skiing, kayaking......look where you want to go, not where you are. I did not do well with these tests tonight. My first time trying them. But I will do them and I will get the hang of it. One question is a problem I have is bending down to pick up tennis ball. Squatting is still hard because of the knee. Good ROM at 120-125 but not good enough for full squats. Balance is way off. Even just looking down at my feet to pick up the ball. Any ideas would be greatly ag=appreciated. Thank you.......

I love this balance exercise. Please share more balance exercises that can help me to keep from falling.

I did this in rehab and they work.

Like Ricky L, I never completely regained my balance after a stroke 15 years ago, and I gave up cycling and mountain climbing. I am unhappy about exposed heights, even on the telly. I will practice your exercises, for which thank you! Do you advise doing them bare-foot (which is a bit more wobbly,) or solid shoes? Any other advice will be welcome.

So glad that I found your channel. Its really useful. Full watch and full support. I am your new fan.

Thank you, I will put these exercises into practice

Fabulous info. Now how do U rehab fingers & wrists?

Thank you for this video and I am going to practice doing these balancing exercises at home,I am legally blind with limited vision and I have arthritis that affects my balance.

Thanks for good and at home exercises.

Thanks. Good advice.

Fantastic, thanks!

Still trying to relearn to walk after 3 yrs and 3rd brain surgery... Cannot use a walker unassisted. I KNOW I can breakthrough! ❤️🙏

Thank you very much for sharing!

I've seen tennis videos claiming that poor balance is one of the problems that keeps many mediocre players from advancing and using in matches the aggressive strokes they practice. A standard that he says tennis players should try to reach is not just the ability to balance on one foot, but to be able to do so with one's eyes closed. I find that extremely difficult and have been working to slowly improve.

Heel to toe exercise is great in case you're given a field sobriety test! Nice video.

Good video. What do you think of a 5th exercise? Stand barefooted on your non-dominant foot with your eyes closed. As you age, this becomes harder and harder. Young people can do it for a minute, people past 60 often can't do it for even two seconds. It's actually used as a test for biological aging. Even though I can easily perform all 4 of the exercises you show in the video, I'm going to try them (probably for longer) and see if it positively affects my time in standing on one leg with my eyes closed. I'm interested in your thoughts.

Thanks Doug!

Thank you.

I have a computer table in the basement and there's a big, open space in front of it. So I load up RU-vid videos and watch them while doing my balance and flexibility yoga poses. The balance poses are Warrior I, Warrior II, Warrior III, Half-Moon, Eagle, Tree, Side Angle, and Triangle. I try to do these daily but there are times when I don't do them for several days to a week. One thing about balance is that you lose it pretty fast if you don't use it. I started doing balance exercises after falling down the stairs a few times while on chemo. The chemo resulted in permanent neuropathy in my feet so feedback isn't the best.

Excellent video and information thank you.

I'm currently doing Physical Therapy to improve balance after a bad fall. Part of the exercises they have me doing are the tandem walk and the backwards walk , it is strange but for me the backwards walking is so much easier than the tandem walk forward 🤔

I needed this thanks

Get them out of shoes with cushioning and squashed pointy toes and put them in foot shaped, zero drop bare footware style shoes, our brains connect to balance and proprioception with shoes that allow flexibility and we can feel the ground. It defeats the purpose and makes balance worse when we put older people in shoes that are too solid and cushioned, thats why they fall a lot.

I like to walk (balance) on the long curbs going into the grocery at sams and costco, Gone from stepping off several times to almost never now. I can also be tripped by something and stay upright where I was starting to fall in those instances. I'm 64.

Thank so much ❤

Thanks for sharing And God 💕🙏❤️💟 Bless

How about poor balance and dizziness altogether caused by my ears issue.

Great videos , thanks

Just watched another of your videos and am going to ask the same question I did on another video...will the lightheadedness / dizziness go away once we regain our balance? TY again!

Thanks sir 🙏

Hi Doug 😍 I like this thank you!!

Awesome.

Looks easy enough. I do the first 3 now. Still need work!

I find walking backwards easier than walking forward heel to toe.

Thanks.

So helpful! Is there a reason you don’t use the big belt to hold onto them ?

Yes, good advice - difficylt to do but good on you if you do!

Nyce info sir

Thank you for this video! I do have balance issues, as I have Meniere's disease which causes many issues. Wondering if you have any videos regarding head movements that can trigger vertigo. I dont know if its a neck issue or visual trigger. I will keep searching your videos. Thank you for posting!!

After a hip replacement 7 years ago, Covid 9 repeat prescription 2, two years ago, gave me vertigo when emptying the dishwasher. I did not take the booster. I can now empty the dishwasher again without vertigo.

excellent sir keep it up

A great video thank you. How do I get hold of your other videos? I did not understand how to Access other videos

I have peripheral neuropathy affecting my lower legs. Will this prevent improving my balance by preventing proprioception?

Good information, explained clearly A+

Keep trying don't give up u will do it I did diane

Would you suggest to do the same balance exercises, except walking, with eyes closed? That would be quite a challenge.

There are YOGA programs or. Methods that can slowly and gradually improve the strength of nervous system. Try please

i practice one leg stands while waiting at sink... good to know i'm on the right track... if it's hard to do, then do as much as you can!, right?

My balance is off, I will try this Thankyou

The heel toe walk is the most difficult. I can stand for ever on one leg, the heel toe on the other hand is taking time.

'Thanks again, Doug'... great tips! But I have a question: What do I do if I watched out-of-sequence'? I did the walking backwards bit first... because I can and have the luxury of handrail in our building's gym. So do I now move on to a higher level, or just move up to running backwards... outside, while chasing a bus? Thanks. Brian Couch

Useful exercises.