Thoughts from the Dance Floor: Why Does Balance Get Harder as We Get Older?

Sep 8

10 min read

There are certain moments when I'm teaching that always make me smile. I can have a room full of people happily dancing away, stepping from side to side, turning, shaking their hips and generally looking very confident. Then I put in a move that involves standing on one leg for a few seconds and suddenly the arms come out, there's a wobble, somebody else starts laughing and invariably I hear the words, "My balance isn't what it used to be!"

It's something I hear a lot, and actually it's something I've become increasingly interested in as I've got older myself. Why DOES our balance seem to change as we age? Is it simply one of those things we have to accept, or can we actually do something about it?

The good news is that although balance can become more challenging as we get older, it isn't necessarily something we just have to surrender to. There are plenty of things we can do to help maintain and improve it – and some of them may already be happening every time you step onto the dance floor.

Balance is about much more than standing on one leg

When we think about someone having "good balance", we tend to picture them standing perfectly still on one leg, perhaps looking annoyingly serene while the rest of us wobble around beside them! But balance is actually involved in almost everything we do.

Every time we get out of a chair, walk downstairs, step off a kerb, turn around when someone calls our name, put on a pair of trousers, reach into a cupboard or walk across an uneven surface, our balance systems are working. Even simply moving around the house requires our bodies to make constant tiny adjustments to keep us upright, and most of the time we're completely unaware that it's happening.

Our brain is continually receiving information about where we are in space and making incredibly quick decisions about how our muscles need to respond. When everything is working well, this feels completely automatic, but as we get older some of the systems involved in that process can gradually change.

And it really is a system, because there isn't one single part of the body responsible for keeping us balanced.

Our eyes help tell our brain where we are in relation to the world around us. Our inner ear contains the vestibular system, which helps us detect movement and changes in the position of our head. Then there's something called proprioception, which is essentially our body's awareness of where our joints and limbs are without us having to look at them.

You can demonstrate this very easily. Close your eyes and touch your nose with your finger. You don't need to see your hand to know where it is. Your brain has an extraordinary awareness of the position of your arm, hand and face.

Of course, once the brain has gathered all this information, the body then has to respond to it. If we start to wobble, muscles in our feet, ankles, legs, hips and core make tiny corrections to stop us falling. All of these systems are communicating with one another constantly, which explains why balance isn't simply about having strong legs. It's a whole-body – and whole-brain – skill.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SR7IVfrVhv4

HERE'S A FUN LITTLE EXERCISE TO TRY

Why does balance change as we age?

There isn't one single reason. Our vision can change, reaction times may become a little slower, the balance mechanisms within the inner ear can become less sensitive and our awareness of where our body is in space can alter too.

There's also another very important factor, and it's something I've written about before: muscle.

From midlife onwards, we can gradually lose muscle mass and strength if we don't actively work to maintain it, and strength plays an important part in our ability to balance and, crucially, to recover when we lose our balance.

Think about what happens if you trip over something. Your brain has to recognise what's happening, decide how to respond and then your muscles need to react quickly enough – and strongly enough – to stop you falling. That's quite an impressive chain of events that has to happen in a fraction of a second.

Strong legs, hips and core can't guarantee that we'll never stumble, but they give our bodies much more ability to respond when we do. This is one of the reasons I'm such a believer in maintaining strength as we get older. It isn't about lifting weights so that we can look like bodybuilders; it's about having a body that is capable of responding to the everyday situations life throws at us.

There's a confidence element too

One part of balance that I don't think we talk about enough is confidence.

After a fall – or even a frightening near-fall – it's completely understandable that someone might become worried about it happening again. The problem is that fear can sometimes make us move less. We might stop walking as far, avoid uneven ground, become very cautious about stairs or stop doing activities that feel challenging.

Unfortunately, the less we move, the less opportunity we give our muscles and balance systems to practise. Muscles can become weaker, movement can become more hesitant and confidence can reduce even further. Before long it can become a vicious circle: we're moving less because we're worried about falling, but moving less may actually reduce some of the physical capabilities that help us stay steady.

I see a milder version of this in classes. Someone will tell me, "I can't do turns" or "I'm terrible at balance", so their instinct is to avoid that particular movement completely.

With a little encouragement, however, they might start trying a smaller version. Perhaps it's a quarter turn rather than a full turn, keeping one toe lightly touching the floor instead of lifting the foot completely, or using a chair for support while they practise.

Gradually, something changes. They realise, "Actually, I can do this."

Maybe they don't do it in exactly the same way as the person next to them, but that's not important. They're finding a version that works for their body and building confidence in the process.

The dance floor is actually a wonderful place to practise balance

One of the things I love about dance-based exercise is that we're often working on balance without thinking of it as "balance training".

Think about everything that happens during a typical class. We're stepping sideways and backwards, crossing one foot behind another, changing direction, turning, shifting our weight from one leg to the other, moving at different speeds and reaching our arms away from our bodies. Sometimes, even if it's only momentarily, most of our weight is supported by one leg.

Every time we change direction or transfer our weight, our body has to work out where we are and make the necessary adjustments to keep us upright.

Then add the brain into the equation. We're listening to music, watching the instructor, remembering a pattern, anticipating what might come next and coordinating our feet and arms at the same time. There's actually an enormous amount going on.

Yet because we're dancing to music, surrounded by other people and hopefully having fun, we're unlikely to be thinking, "Excellent, I'm currently working on my dynamic balance and proprioception."

Which is probably just as well. I'm not sure I'd get many people through the door if I put that on the class timetable!

But that variety of movement is important because most of the balance we need in everyday life isn't static balance – standing perfectly still on one leg – it's dynamic balance, the ability to remain stable while we're moving.

Walking requires us to transfer our weight repeatedly from one leg to the other. Turning changes our centre of gravity. Stepping around an obstacle requires coordination, strength and spatial awareness. Walking across grass or an uneven pavement requires the body to respond constantly to what's underneath our feet.

That's why I think varied movement is so valuable as we get older. We want our bodies to remain comfortable moving forwards, backwards and sideways rather than only ever moving in a straight line.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Prwsz9ScR2U?si=Yf-eDl1Uxs164YDW

CAN YOU DO THE FLAMINGO!

And don't forget your feet

Our feet probably don't get enough credit for the job they do.

There are lots of small muscles, joints and sensory receptors in our feet helping the brain understand what's happening underneath us. When we're standing or walking, information is continually travelling back to the brain. Is the surface flat? Is our weight moving forwards? Are we leaning to one side? Do we need to adjust?

Our ankles are involved too. If you watch someone trying to balance, you'll often see tiny movements happening around the ankle. That's the body correcting itself.

This is another reason why regular movement and variety are so valuable. Walking, dancing, stepping, changing direction and strengthening the lower legs all give these systems opportunities to work. Our bodies respond to what we ask them to do, so continuing to give them different movement challenges matters.

Should we deliberately challenge our balance?

I think we should, but there's one very important word to add to that: safely.

If we only ever perform movements that feel completely effortless, we're not giving the body much reason to adapt, but that doesn't mean we need to do anything risky. A balance challenge can be very small.

It might mean standing with your feet slightly closer together, taking a slower and more controlled step, holding onto the kitchen worktop and lifting one foot for a few seconds, practising stepping sideways or simply getting up and down from a chair with more control.

There's no prize for doing these things without support.

If you need a chair, wall or worktop nearby, use it.

And, importantly, if you've experienced repeated falls, significant dizziness or a sudden unexplained change in your balance, that's something to discuss with your GP or another appropriate healthcare professional rather than simply trying to exercise your way through it. There's a big difference between safely challenging your balance and putting yourself at unnecessary risk.

Sometimes progress is surprisingly small

As an instructor, progress isn't always about somebody being able to dance faster, lift a heavier weight or exercise harder. Sometimes the things I notice are much more subtle.

It's the person who used to hold onto the chair suddenly realising they've just completed a movement without it. It's someone doing a turn they used to avoid. It's somebody getting down towards the floor and back up again with more confidence. Or it's simply watching someone have a little wobble and recover from it without panicking.

Those things matter because they don't just affect what happens during an exercise class. They can influence how confident we feel outside it too.

Ultimately, that's why I've become so interested in exercise and healthy ageing. I don't want people exercising simply because they've been told exercise is "good for them". I want movement to help us continue doing all the ordinary and extraordinary things that make up our lives.

I want us to be able to walk, travel, garden, play with children and grandchildren, go out with friends, climb stairs, carry shopping, get up from the floor, dance and remain as independent as possible.

Balance is part of all of that.

"But my balance is terrible!"

If you've ever said that – and I hear it regularly – I'd like you to try changing the language slightly.

Instead of saying "I've got terrible balance," perhaps try "My balance needs some practice."

There's quite a difference between those two statements.

The first makes balance sound like a fixed ability: you've either got it or you haven't. The second recognises that, like strength, coordination and fitness, balance is something we can challenge and practise.

It also means we don't need to compare ourselves with anyone else. One person might comfortably stand on one leg for thirty seconds while someone else manages three seconds and another person keeps a fingertip on a chair. All three can still be working on their balance.

It's something I say constantly in my classes: go at your own pace, do what you can.....

Not the body you had twenty years ago, not somebody else's body and not even necessarily the body you had last week. Today's body.

And perhaps we shouldn't always see a little wobble as a failure either.

Obviously, I don't want anyone falling over in my classes! But a small, controlled wobble can simply be your body recognising that your position has changed and making the necessary corrections.

I sometimes imagine the brain and body having a very quick conversation.

"We're going over!"

"No we're not."

"I think we are!"

"Got it!"

And back you come.

When you think about everything that has just happened in that fraction of a second – the information coming from your eyes, ears, feet and joints, your brain processing it and your muscles responding – it's actually rather impressive.

Keep moving, keep challenging and keep laughing

The more I learn about ageing and movement, the more convinced I become that we shouldn't automatically accept every physical change as something we can do nothing about.

Of course our bodies change as we get older. Mine certainly has, and it will continue to do so. But that doesn't mean we become powerless passengers in the process.

We can work on our strength. We can practise our balance. We can challenge our coordination. We can continue learning new movements and keep giving our bodies reasons to stay capable.

Sometimes that might look like strength training. Sometimes it might be walking, gardening or getting out into the countryside. Sometimes it might be practising standing on one leg while you're waiting for the kettle to boil – with the kitchen worktop nearby, please!

And sometimes it can simply be putting on a great piece of music and dancing.

So the next time you're in class and we do a move that leaves everybody wobbling around and laughing, don't immediately think, "Oh dear, my balance is getting terrible."

Perhaps think instead, "Good. This is something worth practising."

Because ultimately we're not practising balance so that we can become brilliant at standing on one leg.

We're doing it so that we can keep standing confidently on both of them for as many years as possible.

And if we can have a dance and a laugh while we're doing it, even better.

Come and move with me

If you'd like to work on your strength, balance, coordination and confidence while actually enjoying yourself, you're very welcome to join me.

My Zumba Gold and Zumba classes combine music, dance and lower-impact movement, while Lift & Laugh® focuses on functional strength, mobility, balance and keeping our bodies capable as we get older.