How To Improve Your Balance

Being in step with the music may help you avoid potentially dangerous falls in your senior years, according to a study recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Poor balance and gait put you at greater risk for falls, but exercising to the beat can improve both, according to a study of 134 seniors in a community living situation in Switzerland. The seniors participated in a multitask exercise program of increasingly difficult movements to help improve balance, such as walking in time to music and responding to rhythm changes.

The participants were able to increase their walking speed and their stride length became steadier, which helped prevent falls. The positive effects were still evident six months after the program, according to the study.