Easy Ways to Improve Your Stability and Strength

Can you stand on one foot for 30 seconds without falling? Or walk heel-to-toe with your eyes closed?

Your physical activity routine might be focused on losing weight or building cardiovascular health (or both), but it's also important to spend a little time developing your balance and stability.

You may think you're already doing that by taking exercise walks or working out at the gym. Indeed, one study of postmenopausal women showed that those who were regular brisk walkers had better postural stability than women who weren't regular walkers. But building overall good balance takes specific training, which is important for preventing the falls that can lead to debilitating injuries such as hip or wrist fractures.

To get that training, don't just rush out and buy a balance board or giant stability ball, says Ryan Overturf, BS, Assistant Director of Professional Training at TELOS Fitness Center in Dallas (ACSM, CIAR, MATT, PTPT) and Certifying Instructor for the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research. You need to first develop your balance on flat, non-moving (static) surfaces before advancing to moving (dynamic) ones.

Brain training for balance

How do you develop stability on purpose? "You're talking about muscle strengthening, but you're also talking about brain training," says Cynthia Trowbridge, PhD, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Texas, Arlington.

For secure balance, she says, you must develop good corrective responses to "information coming from your environment, whether that's (through) vision or the sensation under your feet." And you need to anticipate what your body's responses should be.

In that way, says Dr. Trowbridge, who is also a certified athletic trainer (ATC) and certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), "you challenge your stability by cueing your muscles to help maintain your balance and positioning. Walking outdoors on a rough gravel path or grass surface would challenge you more than walking around on the kitchen floor or using a stationary bike."

To teach your brain to react and control balance better, she advises putting yourself "in safe, unstable positions." A good example is standing on one leg, with something nearby to grab onto if you start to wobble. Or stand on both feet, but on a foam pad or couch cushion. These experiences help your brain learn to respond to the changed information your body is receiving.

Dr. Trowbridge suggests this "brain training" to build stability: