ISSUE #2 OF 7 IN AN E-MAIL SERIES Simple, everyday activities can strengthen balance If you love tennis, golf, running, dancing, or any number of other sports or activities, working on balance buffs your abilities. Not an athlete? Just walking across the room or down the block requires good balance. So does rising from a chair, going up and down stairs, toting packages, and even turning to look behind you. And good balance helps prevent potentially disabling falls. There is a lot you can do to preserve and improve your balance, and it doesn’t take special fitness classes or exercises. Incorporating balance and strength activities into your daily routine could be enough to lower your risk of falling. Get your copy of Better Balance Discover how you can prevent falls by improving your balance and mobility. Better Balance: Easy exercises to improve stability and prevent falls gives you step-by-step instructions for easy, effective workouts that will improve posture, increase muscle strength and speed, sharpen reflexes, expand flexibility, and firm your core. You'll also get tips for fall-proofing your home. Researchers in Australia tested a program called Lifestyle Integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE) on a group of 317 people, ages 70 and older, who had fallen in the previous year. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the LiFE program, a structured exercise and strengthening program, or a control “sham” program of gentle exercises.  Those in the LiFE program incorporated balance and strength movements throughout their day — for example, squatting instead of bending over to close a drawer, or walking sideways while carrying groceries from the car to the house. At the end of one year, the LiFE group had experienced 31% fewer falls than the two other groups – a total of 172 falls, compared with 193 in the structured exercise group and 224 in the control group. People were also more likely to stick with the LiFE program than with the other two programs. To incorporate balance exercises into your daily routine, try standing on one leg while talking on the phone or sitting down in a chair without using your hands.  For more on ways to improve your balance, buy Better Balance, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Share this story: Featured in this issue Better Balance Featured content: • How balance works • Balance problems • SPECIAL BONUS SECTION: Preventing falls • Activities that enhance balance • Starting balance workouts safely •  ... and more! Click here to read more »