I’m a PT who trains seniors: My 5 go-to sensorimotor exercises to improve balance and prevent falls
A recent study found that sensorimotor exercises are essential as we get older. As well as preventing the loss of muscle mass that is associated with aging, these exercises help improve balance and prevent falls, helping you stay independent for longer.
When we talk about sensorimotor exercises, we’re referring to a specialized type of training that works on improving the communication pathways between your sensory nervous system and your motor nervous system. In other words, they help train your brain and body to better understand where your limbs and joints are in space — a term referred to as proprioception. A good example of this is holding your palm up to your face in a dark room, or picking up a drink without looking at your hand.
Working on this mind-body connection can help you react faster to unexpected instability, like stepping off a kerb, preventing trips and falls. These exercises force your body to make rapid, unconscious adjustments to stay upright and strengthen the rapid reflexes you need to stop yourself from falling. You’ll also be working the deep stabilizing muscles in the ankle, knee, and hip joints, as well as the core, providing a solid foundational strength for daily movements.
My 5 go-to sensorimotor exercises for seniors to improve balance and prevent falls
To help you get started, our resident personal trainer, Sam Hopes, who trains clients of all ages, shared her five go-to sensorimotor exercises to improve balance and prevent falls. Remember, if you’re a complete beginner or you’re returning to exercise following an injury, it’s always a good idea to seek individual advice from a professional.
1. Heel-toe walk
- Start by standing upright and engaging your core, thinking about sucking your belly button into your spine.
- Step one foot forward, placing the heel of your foot directly in front of the toes on your opposite foot.
- Next, take another step, again, placing the heel of your foot in front of the toes of your opposite foot.
- Focus on keeping your body upright and your steps smooth.
- Start by taking 10 steps, and build up to doing more sets.
2. Squats on an unstable surface
- For this exercise, use an unstable surface like a balance board if you’re in the gym, or a pillow on the floor if you’re working out at home.
- Stand on the unstable surface with your feet hip-width apart.
- Engage your core and bend your knees, sending your hips back like you’re sitting down in a chair.
- If you can, lower until you have a 90-degree bend in your knee.
- Press your feet into the floor, and raise back to your standing position, squeezing your glutes at the top of the exercise.
- Start by doing 5-10 reps.
- To make the exercise harder, complete more sets of squats, or hold one of the best adjustable dumbbells in each hand.
3. Calf raises
- Stand with both feet hip-width apart, place your hands on your hips, or hold a dumbbell in each hand to increase the intensity. Alternatively, do this one on an unstable surface using just your bodyweight.
- Rise up onto your tiptoes, pausing for a second at the top, before lowering down to your starting position.
- You’ll feel the tension in your calves — the muscles in the back of your lower legs.
- Aim for 10 reps.
4. Single-leg Romanian deadlift
- Test your balance and strengthen your lower body using a take on the single-leg Romanian deadlift. Start by standing with feet hip-width apart, stomach engaged and back flat.
- Hinge forward at the hips as you lift your right leg behind you and lower until your back is flat and your chest is parallel to the floor.
- Maintain a soft knee bend in the left leg throughout, pausing when you feel activation down the back of your standing leg.
- Aim for five reps on each leg.
5. Push-up on an unstable surface
- For this exercise, use a balance board or Bosu ball. If you’re at home, you could place a pillow under each hand.
- If you need to, start with your knees on the floor for this exercise.
- Get into a push-up position, with your hands in line with your shoulders. Bend both elbows and lower your chest to the balance trainer, keeping your elbows close to your body
- Push away to return to the starting position.
- Aim for 10 reps.
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