BALANCE EXERCISE WILL KEEP YOU ON YOUR FEET

FRESNO PERSONAL TRAINER: BALANCE EXERCISE WILL KEEP YOU ON YOUR FEET  

(FRESNO, CA August 29, 2011) - If you watched the news last week you might have seen the footage of Nancy Reagan's near-fall as she walked with a group of people. The 90-year-old former First Lady stumbled, lost her balance and took a tumble, but fortunately was not hurt. 

This incident sheds light on the danger of falls - the leading cause of injury among U.S. adults aged 65 years and older - as well as on the importance of preventing those potentially serious accidents that can result in various fractures, traumas, and even death. 

"A fall can happen in a split second," says John Galassie, a personal trainer at Valhalla Health Coaching in Fresno, CA. "Slipping on an uneven or slippery surface, tripping over an obstacle, or even something as simple as wearing ill-fitting shoes can cause loss of balance and a tumble. It happens more often than we think." 

Fortunately, there are effective ways to avert accidental falls - and exercise is one of the best preventive measures. 

"That's perhaps the lesser-known but nevertheless very important aspect of physical fitness," says Galassie, adding that while falls are most common among older Americans, younger people often slip and fall as well. 

Which exercises are best to prevent this kind of accidents? 

"Balance training combined with strengthening and flexibility workouts will help improve your stability, agility, and coordination, making you less prone to falls and injuries," he notes. 

The following workouts will be particularly useful, Galassie says: 

Balance workouts improve stability and coordination that will keep you from falling down. 

Flexibility exercises provide balance to various muscle groups, keep the joints, tendons and ligaments supple, and give you a better range of motion. As a result, your movements  - whether walking or just doing regular chores - will be less clumsy and more coordinated. 

Strength training: As we age, our muscle mass declines and our body becomes weaker. Exercises that strengthen our muscles will make us more resistant to falls and injuries. 

An added advantage of strength training, including weight- bearing exercises, is that it will prevent bone density loss that occurs in osteoporosis. "The less brittle your bones are, the less risk there is of serious fractures," Galassie says. 

For best results, "ask your trainer to include all these workouts - while taking into account your age and fitness level - into your regular exercise routine," Galassie suggests.