Balance & Stabilization Exercises

Balance and stabilization exercises help you maintain balance and your confidence at any age. Balance exercises can also help prevent falls and improve your coordination, which is particularly important for helping older adults retain mobility and independence. Balance and stabilization exercises improve your control of your spine and pelvic joints by strengthening your core muscles. Greater core strength also improves body control during athletic movements and makes movements more efficient.

Spine Flexion Extension

Spine flexion and extension exercises help reduce viscous stress in your spinal joints. A June 1999 paper by Stuart M. McGill, PhD recommends cycling through full spinal flexion and extension five to six times before performing other spinal stabilization exercises. Get on your hands and knees with your knees directly below your hips and your arms extended with your wrists directly below your shoulders. Move your rib cage away from your hips, and let your abdomen sink toward the floor while pushing your sitting bones straight up. Simultaneously tilt your neck back and away from your chest to fully extend your spine. Flex your spine by reversing the motion until your back is rounded toward the ceiling.

Inner Abdominals

Exercises that develop your inner abdominal muscles help develop balance and stabilization. Abdominal hollowing targets the transverse abdominis muscle of the inner abdomen. Stand straight up against a wall. Inhale and pull your belly button in toward your spine as you exhale. Use the wall support to maintain an upright posture. Contract your pelvic floor muscles simultaneously as you pull your navel in. Your pelvic floor muscles are around the base of the anus, and they are the same muscles you contract to stop the flow of urine.

Lateral Isometrics

Lateral isometric exercises help develop balance and stabilization by strengthening inner spinal muscles, specifically the obliques and quadratus lumborum. Stuart M McGill, PhD recommends isometric isometric side support exercises, such as the side plank. Lie on one side of your body. Elevate your torso by placing your forearm on the mat under your shoulder and perpendicular to your body. Position the upper leg directly on top of the lower leg, and straighten your hips and knees. Raise your hips toward the ceiling to bring your spine into a neutral position in line with your upper body, and hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

Upright Exercises

Upright exercises that enhance balance and stabilization may involve shifting your weight from one side of your body to the other, such as alternating balancing your weight on each foot. Adapting to unstable surfaces, such as standing on a balance board, promotes balance and stabilization. You can perform exercises, such as squats, or try shifting your weight from one leg to the other to increase the difficulty of balance board activities. Altering your center of gravity while shifting your weight or using a balance board also provides balance and stability training. Narrowing or widening your stance, and lowering or elevating parts of your body, changes your center of gravity.