Balance and Aging

Rumor has it that we get wiser as we get older.  If that's true -- and, frankly, I have my doubts -- it's one of the rare benefits of the aging process.  Let's face facts: the older you get, the more problems you can encounter.  And one of the most troublesome is a diminished sense of balance.
   You can have balance issues at any age, of course, but the potential causes seem to accumulate with age, ranging from inner-ear changes to high blood pressure to reduced feeling in the feet.  The first step in countering balance issues is to see your doctor and let him or her know what's going on.  If the doctor agrees that exercise can help you compensate for the balance problems, you should think seriously about the potential benefits of Taekwondo and other martial arts.
   Since Taekwondo is a kicking-oriented martial art, you spend a lot of time on one foot rather than two.  And this means that you get to challenge your sense of balance on a regular basis.  The more you challenge, the more stable you can become. 
   One simple way to begin is with an ankle-loosening exercise.  Place your hands on your hips, and raise one leg so that the thigh is parallel to the floor.  While holding this position, gently rotate the ankle of the raised leg, first in one direction, then in the other.  It's helpful to bend the knee of your supporting leg slightly, since the joint then becomes an adjustable stabilizing unit.  If you wobble a bit, not to worry.  With practice the warm-up exercise will become routine.  After working one leg, switch to the other.
   It's important to practice this exercise in a safe area, one that's free of objects that could cause injury if you fall.  If you have a thick mat, you can try practicing on that.  If not, try standing close to a wall so that you can use one of your hands for extra stability if you need it.  Just be sure that the wall is clear of all furniture that could be hazardous should you lose your balance and fall.
   After working on this ankle warm-up, work on gentle kicks.  Once again raise a leg so that the thigh is parallel to the floor.  Then gently extend the leg into a waist-high kick, and bring the leg back to the starting position.  Do 5-10 kicks before switching to the other leg.  The power of the kick is unimportant.  Right now we're simply working on balance issues.  The more you practice balancing on one foot while changing your upper-body position [and your center of gravity], the more "muscle memory" you build into the maneuvers.
   While you're working on challenging your sense of balance in this way, you should also begin -- again with your doctor's approval -- a strength-building program.  Without question, improving your leg strength is one of the most important ways to compensate for a diminished sense of balance.  If you have access to a gym, try using the leg-extension, leg-curl, and leg-press machines.  If you're working out at home and don't have a lot of equipment, begin with knee bends.  But don't bend the old knees too far; just get low enough that you feel the muscles working.  And try to keep your upper-body weight back, not forward.  You don't want to be bent over your legs.
   An alternate way of doing knee bends is to place a strong, stable chair behind you.  Sit until your butt just touches the seat, and then stand up again.  Repeat this motion until your legs begin to feel fatigued.  Over a period of weeks this simple exercise can help you regain the kind of leg strength that can overcome age-related balance issues.  Strong legs won't make balance issues disappear, but they can often spell the difference between staying upright and falling.
   I wish I could say that practicing Taekwondo or another martial art will eliminate age-related balance problems, but that's not the case. By challenging your sense of balance religiously and by keeping your legs as strong as possible, however, you'll greatly improve your chances of compensating for what could become a life-threatening problem.  If you've been "retired" from the martial arts for too long, get back on track.  And if you've never enjoyed the experience, remember that it's never too late to put the power of Taekwondo to work for you.