The BEST single exercise to improve BALANCE for seniors

What a pleasure to have someone give a “lesson” in under 5 minutes in simple, clear English with no personal jokes or stories or personal side shows.

My uncle taught me to brush my teeth standing on one leg. One minute brushing uppers on one leg then another minute doing lowers on the other leg. This helps my balance and my teeth get a full 2 minute brushing. It really helps!

How refreshing, someone giving great advice on how to improove balance in less than 3 minutes and not asking for me to commit to a subscription.

God bless you for not doing an hours video when 5 minutes will do.Thank you from 🇬🇧🙋🏻‍♀️🙏

Short and to the point. I don’t need to know bone and muscle structure, just what works ! Thanks for just getting to the actual exercise!!!

I’ve been experiencing balance problems. I decided to try the exercise. I thought, “This shouldn’t be that hard. 10 seconds at least should be easy.” I couldn’t hold the one leg balance for more than 4 seconds! I’m committed to doing this exercise until I can do 20 seconds. Thanks so much for this exercise. I’ve just subscribed!

That advice is GOLD. I am 79 years old. I can stand steady on either leg for 20 seconds. I couldn’t get to 20 seconds when I started this exercise a while ago. Doug knows what he is talking about and delivered in a straightforward way, without the normal big sell one has to endure.

I wish my mother and my grandparents had the wealth of information that is now available thanks to YouTube. They would have had a longer, better quality of life.

Yes I agree with you. I started this two years ago. My balance was not good and I was scared I'd fall . I started with a count to ten and now I do a count to forty on each leg. Three months later while out walking i noticed I was no longer scared and I was walking with more control and walking upright . It was profound as I did not know this would happen. Such a simple exercise to strengthen ones core. Blessings from England.

Yes! This is excellent advice. I am in my 70s and do 'one-leg' exercises every morning. I aim for 60 seconds on each leg, turning slowly both left and right while doing so. I follow these with a 60 second exercise using both legs but standing on my toes, while also twisting and turning my body. I like to think my balance is excellent - I regularly 'bound' along rocks on the beach.

Thanks for GETTING TO THE POINT! This is rare on YouTube and very refreshing.

Hurt my back and ended up seeing a physio that assigned me a number of exercises, including this one. Religiously doing this daily had my balance and strength continually improving, and i could hold this pose longer each week. Three months later, my walking feels so much more balanced, steadier, and faster, like I'm 10-15 years younger. He's not kidding about the hundreds of times, I was terrible at this in the beginning, and this exercise of all my exercises, was the one I had the most difficulty with. Keep at it, you'll get there.

As a Rehab Nurse I see our wonderful Young physios literally 'blind our elderly patients with science" which was too overwhelming for them. Can't wait to show them this vid ITS PERFECT! THANKYOU! FOR YOUR NO NONSENSE SIMPLE APPROACH ❤️🇦🇺☮️🐨

This was SO HELPFUL! I am 74 years old and had a bad fall recently. Now I "shuffle" - because I don't want to fall again. I need this excercise!! Thank you!

I completely agree with the previous commenter! Under five minutes. Clear English. So refreshing. Thank you!!!

I am 86 years old. Each morning upon arising, I do 3 sets of the Yoga Tree Pose, alternating legs for a count of 20 seconds. In so doing, I have completely restored my sense of balance that I had lost when I had Covid.

My comment as a former Tai Chi teacher for 20 years: THIS EXCELLENT ADVICE. Many thanks for this video. Hopefully, seeing it is only 3 min. may add to the people clicking on it, in this 'instant gratification' world we're all navigating. And, thanks, Karen, for your comment, which inspired me to no end.

I'm 84 and ten years ago I read that standing on one leg - with eyes closed - is the best way to maintain balance fitness into old age. I do this occasionally, but I regularly tie my shoelaces without holding on - and manage it 9 times out of ten. Mind you.I do about 6 ultra marathons a year, so I'm pretty fit - and I'm also vegan, which caused my arthritis to disappear altogether.

I agree. I am a Physical Therapist who had a stroke almost 2 years ago. After 8 months of Physical & Occupational Therapies my muscle strength is good and equal on both sides of my body. My balance is still affected by the stroke. I have been concentrating on doing single leg standing balance because I feel this is going to be what helps me get to full recovery.

I've lost track of how many times I've fallen down... mostly in the garden and occasionally with minor injuries. I have severe non-diabetic neuropathy so have issues with foot-drop and numbness. However, I've read a lot of the comments and doing this exercise consistently gives me hope. I'm 72. Thank you for posting! Clay from Illinois.