Agility is a combination of strength, coordination and balance. Athletes also develop speed as an aspect of agility, but for seniors concerned with maintaining independence or avoiding a potentially disastrous fall, strength, coordination and balance remain the most important factors. Balance and coordination exercises are the best place to start. You'll naturally develop more strength as you progress through the exercises.
Standing on One Foot
Being able to stand on one foot is critical for increasing your stability for activities such as walking or going up or down stairs. Such activities are a controlled transitions from one point of balance to the other.
Shift all your weight to one leg, then slowly lift the other foot off the ground. If you need extra support, stand near a wall, chair or anything else sturdy you can lean on for support. Start with one hand on the support, then slowly work down to fewer fingers on the support until you can lift your hand off entirely. Don't forget to repeat the single-leg stand on the other foot, too.
Heel-Toe Walk
Heel-toe walks improve both balance and coordination. You may want to do this exercise near a wall you can trail your fingers along for extra balance if need be. Walk a straight line, placing the heel of each foot directly in front of the toes of the other foot. Your heels and toes should touch, or nearly so. You'll quickly find that, to keep your balance, you should look ahead at a fixed point instead of staring down at your feet. If you have trouble walking a straight line, you can put a long line of masking tape down on the floor to use as a guide.
Side Shuffles
Agility means being able to move your body quickly in any direction. This includes sideways. You can practice making controlled lateral movements by standing, facing toward a wall you can lean on for balance if need be. Move your right leg out to your right side in a side step, then slowly shift your weight from the left leg to right leg. Bring your left leg in beside the right. Repeat all the way down the length of the wall and repeat going back in the other direction, too. Start with short steps, as little as 6 to 12 inches, and work your way up to larger steps as you're able.
Balance Walk
The balance walk is a more difficult variation of the heel-toe walk combined with one-leg stands. It requires not just a greater degree of balance and coordination but a lot of self-confidence, too. Repeat the heel-toe walk, but this time with a more natural stride length; your feet still fall one in front of the other, in a straight line, but the heels and toes don't have to touch. Stop and pause for a full second, balancing on one leg, as you lift each foot to take a step.
Member Comments