Do you ever feel like the pre-oiled version of the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz movie? Do you feel like your balance isn’t as good as it used to be?

(And, for those who haven’t seen Wizard of Oz, given that it was long enough ago to be one of the first more popular movies that used color, ahem, I’m referring to feeling stiff, creaky, and even a bit limited in our movements).

And no, this post is not targeted to only older people.

The fact is that we can get the feeling of being less flexible and having less good balance at a much younger age than we would expect. While how much we feel this effect and at what age will vary by individual, research shows that our flexibility can worsen as early as our mid-20s to early 30s (with men losing flexibility faster than women), and balance issues becoming more noticeable in our 40’s and 50’s.¹

And, unfortunately, it’s something that can creep up on us.

Like so many things related to our physical well-being, our reduced balance and flexibility can happen gradually without our noticing them, that is, until we do. Take a moment and think about when you were 10 or 20. How does your current self and how you move (and feel as you move) compare to your younger self? How do your balance and flexibility compare now vs. then?

You likely see and feel a difference between your younger and your current-aged self because of passing years combined with not focusing on doing what can maintain your flexibility and balance (because, if you’re like many of us, you may not feel you need to), not to other things that can exacerbate this, such as injuries or a lot of time spent sitting down (and often bent over a computer or similar smart device).¹

Here’s the thing:

Our loss of flexibility and ability to balance is aging.

It’s aging on the inside because it can impact how good we feel as we do things, not to mention how we feel when we don’t feel we can do certain things as easily as we used to.

It’s aging on the outside because, gray hair and wrinkles aside, what is one of the biggest differences you notice between a younger person and an older one? It’s how they move. When we’re young, we are more agile and move with greater ease and assurance. As we age, we are not quite as nimble and may feel stiffer, creakier, and move with greater caution. A lot of that difference has to do with balance and flexibility.

So, while we may think that sense of balance and flexibility are things that only “older people” need to worry about, the truth is that we are all in the aging boat, with our bodies getting older with each passing day and, along with them, our sense of balance and flexibility.

Fortunately, we don’t have to accept that feeling, and moving like the pre-oil Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz is a “normal” part of aging. We can help ourselves stay feeling and moving more youthfully by doing what supports us to stay balanced and moving freely and fluidly.

1: STAY BALANCED

One of the hats I wore during my journey to greater well-being was that of a Certified Personal Trainer. In one of my continuing education courses, I remember the instructor claiming something that surprised me. He said that research has shown that older people don’t necessarily trip more than younger people, that tripping occurrences tend to be relatively consistent across different age groups, but that while younger people can regain their balance better when they stumble, older people can’t. Therefore, trips tend to lead to falls, which often lead to injury.

Whether that is totally true, what is widely accepted to be true is that our ability to recover from stumbles diminishes as we age. According to one study, older adults (65 and above) are more likely to experience falls due to tripping, slipping, or misstepping than younger adults, with 33% of falls among older adults being attributed to tripping vs. only 17% for younger adults.¹

That is because our sense of balance depends on the interaction of information between our central nervous system (our brain) and our sensory system (inner ear, vision, skin, joints, and muscles), all things that are impacted by time (medication, alcohol, and certain health conditions can also affect our sense of balance).¹ As a result, as we age, our coordination, balance, and reflexes worsen. This, combined with weaker muscles and bones (if we aren’t doing something to keep them strong), means that trips are more likely to lead to falls, which are more likely to lead to injury (especially if our bones are weak).

How is your sense of balance?

Try this: Stand on one leg. How long can you maintain your balance? What about if you close your eyes? Is your ability to stay balanced on one leg (and with eyes closed) as good as you would expect it to be? More importantly, is it what you want it to be? If it is, great. Continue doing what supports your ability to balance. If it is not, then build balance-building activities into your exercise routine.

The following are examples of activities that can support your ability to balance:

• Strength Training: Strength training benefits our coordination and balance and keeps supporting muscles strong.¹ Strength training exercises with balance elements include squats, single-leg squats, step-ups, and lunges. Walking, biking, and climbing stairs can also build strength in the lower body.¹
• Yoga & Tai Chi: Yoga, which is good for muscle strength and flexibility, has many poses that focus on balance.¹ Tai chi is also good for balance.¹

In addition to the activities just mentioned, the following are some exercises you can do to maintain or improve your balance:

• Leg Balance: Balance on each leg for a minute. If that’s too easy, bend and straighten one leg as you balance.
• Wobbly Surface Balance: Stand on a BOSU ball or similar wobbly surface that trains your balance (safely; have something you can grab onto if there is any risk of falling).
• Sitting & Rising Exercise: Without using your hands, practice sitting down and getting up from a chair.
• Heel-to-Toe Walk: Pretend you’re a tightrope walker. Put a string or tape on the floor and try to walk on it, keeping your feet close together in a toe-to-heel fashion.

If you belong to a gym, ask them what they have to offer in terms of balance training and support. Depending on your health status, you may also seek medical guidance, such as your doctor or physical therapist, for balance training recommendations and support. No matter your age or health status, ensure that you protect your body’s ability to balance by incorporating activities that help keep you in balance.

2: STAY FLEXIBLE

Flexibility impacts how we can move and how we feel as we do. It is a key component of physical well-being and important for performing everyday activities and exercises. So, how is your flexibility?

The following are examples of simple tests you can try to assess your flexibility (if you try these, do them carefully so you don’t overextend and hurt yourself):

• Sit and Reach Test¹: Sit on the floor with your legs extended straight in front of you, your feet about 12 inches apart, and reach forward with your arms. How far forward can you reach?
• Zipper Test¹: How close are your middle fingers to each other if you raise one arm overhead and reach behind your head, palm down, and reach your other arm up behind your back, palm out (as if you were trying to zip up the back of your dress)? Are they touching? If not, how far apart from each other are they?
• Sitting-Rising Test¹: Try to go from a standing position (with bare feet) to sitting down on the floor and then back to standing. Are you able to get down to the floor or back up without using your hands or something else for support?

Are you as flexible as you used to be or expected to be?

Limited movement is just that: Limiting. It can restrict what we can do and what we want to do because often, along with having less flexibility, comes stiffness and discomfort. Therefore, we want to develop and maintain our flexibility and what supports our range of motion because how freely we can move — and move pain-free — impacts our quality of life.

As with balance, there are things you can do to help develop and maintain your flexibility, such as the following:

• Stretching & flexibility Exercises: Stretch as part of your cool down, targeting the areas you worked. You can also have dedicated stretching sessions where you target all areas of your body to get a nice full-body stretch. Search online for ideas and videos on how to do different stretches (search “stretching exercises,” “stretches to increase flexibility,” or something similar). If you have an injury or other health condition that makes you uncertain which exercises are best for you, consult a health professional about what stretching and flexibility-building exercises are best for you.
• Flexibility-Promoting Activities: Yoga, Tai Chi, and Pilates are three activities that can enhance your flexibility.
• Massage: Massage therapy, using a foam roller or strategically placing and rolling a lacrosse or tennis ball to target trouble areas, can also loosen up some stiff areas that are impeding your movement.

If you find that your flexibility is limited or impacted by discomfort, in addition to doing range-of-motion exercises that fit your health circumstances, reach out to an appropriate health professional for guidance. The solution may be as simple as doing more stretching or targeted massage in an area causing stiffness. However, you won’t know if you don’t have it checked. Be proactive, and do all you can to support your ability to move freely and pain-free.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Maintaining flexibility and balance supports our overall well-being and full functioning at any age. So, even though it may be natural for our bodies to experience changes as we grow older, we don’t have to accept stiffness and poor balance as inevitable parts of aging. By incorporating activities, such as strength training, yoga, and Tai Chi, as well as regular stretching and flexibility-and balance-promoting activities, we can support our body’s ability to move freely and remain steady on our feet.

Remember: It’s never too early or too late to do what supports our physical well-being and ability to stay and feel youthful, and that includes our flexibility and balance. So, take the steps today to help ensure you can move through your todays and tomorrows with agility and balance.