Practise balance as you get older
Balance and functional exercise help older adults avoid falls.
The number, drawn
Why it matters
Balance practice trains the control needed to stay steady during everyday movement. In trials involving older adults living in the community, balance and functional exercise reduced the rate of falls by 24%. This is a reduction in the number of falls over time, not a guarantee that nobody will fall.
How to do it
- Practise near a solid support, or join a supervised balance class.
- Include controlled weight shifts, stepping and getting up from a chair.
- Combine balance and strength work on at least three days weekly, as WHO recommends for older adults.
If you have fallen, feel unsteady or have dizziness, ask for a tailored exercise plan before practising unsupported.
Do it
Pick the time you have. Anything beats nothing.
Start with the time you have
5 minutes
Read the NHS balance routine and its support advice; if you have fallen, feel dizzy or unsteady, start a request for a tailored balance assessment.
15 minutes
Do the NHS balance moves beside a wall or stable chair: sideways walking, heel-to-toe walking, a one-leg stand with a hand on it.
30 minutes
Find a local supervised balance or falls prevention class and check how to join; note any falls or dizziness to mention.
A plan
Build steadiness with suitable support
- Stage 1: Get tailored advice if you have fallen, feel unsteady or have dizziness.
- Stage 2: Choose appropriate exercises and a safe support with your clinician or class leader.
- Stage 3: Build a repeatable routine combining balance and strength, working toward three days weekly as appropriate.
- Stage 4: Review control and confidence before making exercises harder.
In real life
- Ask about a supervised class that combines balance practice and leg strengthening.
- Practise slow sideways steps with a wall or worktop within reach to hold if you wobble.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeTrying balance moves without support raises the chance of a fall, so use a stable support and get tailored advice if you feel unsteady.
- Common mistakeRushing to harder movements makes control difficult, so progress slowly and retain support when you need it.
Trusted guides
Check usSources
- Evidence grade
- A Meta-analyses of randomised trials, or a major guideline consensus.
- Basis
- Cochrane 2019 review, high certainty balance and functional exercise result; WHO guidance
- The number
- Balance and functional exercise: 24% lower rate of falls in older adults (Cochrane, 2019)
- Outcome
- rate of falls in community-dwelling older adults
- Comparison
- balance and functional exercise versus control in trials
- Tier 1 guidelineExercise for preventing falls in older people living in the communityCochrane, 2019
- Tier 1 guidelinePhysical activity: recommendations from the 2020 WHO guidelinesWHO Europe, 2021
General health information, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Personalization changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess your medical risks. Follow the cautions and consult a qualified clinician when needed.