Balance training should be a top priority in your workout routine as you age.
Staying balanced on your own two feet is something that becomes more and more important as you age. If you’re looking to improve and maintain your balance, it’s essential to optimize your workout routine—and balance training should be a top priority. However, you don’t necessarily need to invest in a balance board or head to yoga class in order to see noticeable results. To get started, you can use a sturdy chair and your body weight! We spoke with Portia Page, Balanced Body Educator and NCPT, who shares five chair exercises that can help support better balance after 65.
“One of the biggest advantages of chair-based balance training is that the chair provides security without removing the opportunity to challenge the body. For someone who is afraid of falling, has already experienced a fall, is deconditioned, or simply doesn’t feel confident balancing unsupported, asking them to immediately stand on one leg can create more fear than benefit. Fear can cause people to stiffen, hold their breath, move less naturally, or avoid balance training altogether,” explains Page.
A chair provides a safe and stable environment where you can train your underlying skills. According to Page, balance isn’t “one isolated ability.” Instead, it calls for cooperation and information between the vestibular, visual, and somatosensory systems, in addition to sufficient mobility, strength, coordination, confidence, and reaction time.
“Chair exercises can address several of those components while reducing the immediate fear of losing balance,” Page says, adding, “I also like chair exercises because they allow us to create a progression rather than an all-or-nothing challenge. Someone might begin fully seated, progress to sitting with greater reaching and weight shifting, move to supported standing, decrease how much they rely on the chair, and eventually perform more challenging standing exercises.”
While yoga can absolutely be a beneficial part of a well-rounded balance routine, chair-based workouts offer a practical and adaptable starting point for individuals who aren’t comfortable performing unsupported standing balance movements. So, grab a sturdy chair and let’s get started.
Sit-to-Stand
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“Sit-to-stand strengthens the hips, glutes, thighs, and torso/trunk while practicing one of the most important movements we perform every day. Being able to control your center of mass as you move from sitting to standing is directly related to functional independence, and requires overall balance as well as strength,” Page explains.
Begin seated at the front of a sturdy chair with your feet planted firmly on the ground.
Lean forward slightly.
Try to stand up without using your knees, hands, or additional support. (If you need assistance, place your hands on the chair or your thighs.)
Use control to slowly sit back down.
Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
Seated Marching
“Marching challenges trunk stability, hip strength, coordination, and the ability to shift weight from side to side. That alternating pattern also relates directly to walking, where we continually transfer our weight from one side of the body to the other,” Page tells us.
Begin seated on a chair with your feet placed hip-width apart on the floor.
Gently draw your lower belly inward and keep your torso lifted.
Slowly lift one knee up to hip height.
Hold for a moment before lowering.
Continue in a “marching” fashion.
Perform 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 alternating marches.
Seated Heel-to-Toe Raises
“We sometimes overlook the feet and ankles when talking about balance, but they are incredibly important. The muscles around the ankles continually make small adjustments to help keep us upright. Strengthening the calves and muscles along the front of the lower leg while improving awareness of the feet can support steadier standing and walking,” Page explains.
Begin sitting tall with your feet hip-width apart on the ground.
Activate your core.
Shift back onto your heels, lifting your toes off the ground.
Pause for a moment.
Then, shift forward onto the balls of your feet, lifting your heels off the ground.
Continue to alternate between the two movements.
Try 10 to 15 reps of each movement. You can also perform alternating 1 heel up / 1 toes up and switch, tweaking the pace and adding arm movements for an extra challenge.
Seated Weight Shifts and Reaches
“Balance isn’t about holding yourself perfectly still. It’s about being able to move your center of mass and regain control. Reaching and weight shifting teach the body to move outside its usual centered position and then return safely. That’s a skill we use constantly in everyday life, like reaching into a cabinet, picking something up from the floor, turning, or moving around a piece of furniture, or stepping up/down from a curb, etc.,” Page tells us.
Begin sitting tall with your feet planted on the floor.
Slowly shift your weight toward one sit bone.
Return to the center.
Then, shift your weight toward the other sit bone.
Progress the exercise by reaching one arm out to the side, forward, or diagonally with control.
Perform 5 to 8 controlled reaches in several directions per side.
Supported Standing Weight Shift to Single-Leg Balance
“Ultimately, if we want to improve standing balance, we need to practice standing balance. This exercise provides a bridge between seated exercise and unsupported balance work. It strengthens the hips and legs, develops proprioception, and practices the single-leg support we need every time we take a step,” Page says.
Begin standing tall behind a sturdy chair, holding onto the back with both hands.
Shift your weight onto one leg, lightly lifting the opposite foot.
Hold the position before lowering.
Switch sides.
Perform 5 to 10 reps per side or short holds of 5 to 10 seconds.
As your balance improves and when safe to do so, progress by holding onto the chair with just one hand or lightly with your fingertips.
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist based in Greenwich, CT. She has 11+ years of experience covering wellness, fitness, food, travel, lifestyle, and home. Read more about Alexa