Joel Snape, 2 November 2022
​Until we start to lose our balance, we barely notice that it’s there at all. “It starts for a lot of people with simple stuff,” says Dr Anna Lowe, an expert on healthy ageing and physical activity. “Maybe you used to be able to quickly stand on one leg to put a shoe on, and you’ve stopped doing that at some point. Maybe you used to get out of the bath on to a slippery floor without thinking, and now you have to hold on to something. It’s easy to either miss the signs or just put it down to ageing – but it really is something you can affect.”
The key, it is increasingly becoming clear, is to address the decline before it gets serious: and that can happen earlier than you might think.
What is balance? Perhaps surprisingly, those who deal with it have struggled to settle on a single definition. Technically, it’s the complex interaction of several different systems in your body – from muscles, nerves, eyesight and the inner ear to the sensory system that lets you recognise where your body is touching the ground, along with movement receptors within your joints that tell you where your body is in space. It’s not something we’re born with, but also it’s not something we learn in the same way as speech – not quite a sense or a skill, but an ability that we gain early and lose over time.
Most simply, balance is often defined as the ability to distribute your bodyweight over your base of support – a definition that muddles up movement and physical ability with what other people think of as innate. George Locker, a long-term practitioner of tai chi and the author of Falling Is Not An Option, suggests that we think of balance as the thing that lets you learn how to ride a bike after your first few hours of falling off. He describes it as “the rapid and automatic response by your postural muscles to the sensation of imbalance”. Or thinking of balance as something you build, and then something you have – not something you do.
Whatever your definition, a lack of balance is, globally, associated with serious health problems. Earlier this year, the British Journal of Sports Medicine published the results of a decade-long study involving more than 1,700 middle-aged participants, which concluded that an inability to balance was associated with an almost twofold increase in risk of death. Among other health tests, volunteers were asked to stand on one leg with their other leg pressed against it, arms by their sides, eyes fixed straight ahead. After accounting for age, sex and underlying conditions, an inability to hold the position for 10 seconds – given three attempts – was associated with an 84% heightened risk of death from any cause.
Roughly one in five participants failed to pass the test, a percentage that rose in tandem with age – more than one in three (37%) failed between ages 66 and 70. Other studies have made similar connections, with the ability to rise from the floor to a standing position, balance with one eye closed or simply walk at a brisk pace all tied to longevity.
Obviously, this relationship is complex – in some cases, poor balance is a byproduct of more serious conditions, or related to the same lack of physical activity that causes them – but the amount of bodily systems involved in balance suggests that actively maintaining it is likely to keep other problems at bay.
Don’t wait until your balance starts failing to do something about it. Posed by models. Photograph: Halfpoint/Getty Images/iStockphotoAnd sometimes, the relationship is causal – the World Health Organization estimates that 684,000 fatal falls occur each year, making falling the second leading cause of unintentional injury death, with a further 37m falls severe enough to require medical attention, leaving many more people dealing with disability or a shortened lifespan.
Again, some of these falls are caused by more serious conditions – but many aren’t. Meanwhile, a loss of balance, as Locker notes, is a medical problem without a medical solution: something that can’t be treated with drugs or surgery, despite its life-altering consequences.
As to what causes a lack of balance in the first place, there’s no single easy answer. Lack of activity has traditionally been blamed, with a globally ageing population – by 2030, it’s estimated that 12.3% of people on the planet will be 60 and over – proving increasingly sedentary. But health professionals point out that balance problems can be caused by a variety of other factors, many of them age-related – impaired vision or slowing nerve signals can be contributing factors, as can declines in the other systems. Blood pressure can dip, leading to lightheadedness, while reflexes and coordination slow with age.
If you experience a sudden, noticeable change in your ability to balance, Lowe says, you should consult a professional – whether it’s caused by a relatively benign inner-ear problem or something more serious, it’s better to be informed. But a slow, barely noticeable decline will be the thing most people should worry about.
Increasingly, efforts are being made to remedy a lack of balance among the groups already most affected by it. A first-of-its-kind fall prevention research centre in Australia has its own team of neuroscientists dedicated to monitoring fall injury patterns, identifying risk factors and developing preventive strategies – using everything from at-home video games to an obstacle course to help older adults mitigate their risk. The Netherlands, meanwhile, has its own physiotherapist-run programmes, rated by the government and partly covered by health insurance, that teach older citizens the kind of fall-breaking skills more commonly associated with judo.
But part of the problem is that once balance begins to fail, the process becomes a downward spiral. Older people who can’t – or are afraid to – walk around outside their homes, let alone tackle anything more strenuous, develop further imbalances as their muscles and sense of balance atrophy, making falls more likely. This means that prevention is better than cure, and with many people’s balance appearing to diminish from midlife onwards, it’s probably better to start sooner rather than later. “The loss of balance starts at 45, and it’s very clear,” says Locker. “You look at 45-year-old men walking down the street, and they’re starting to lose their glutes, the muscles around the buttocks, which are among the biggest, strongest muscle groups in the body. Many guys get big up top with spindly legs from a combination of diet and the kind of activity they do, and that’s difficult to reverse later. So you have to start prevention in midlife.”

Many guys get big up top with spindly legs from a combination of diet and the kind of activity they do, and that’s difficult to reverse later. So you have to start prevention in midlife“Upstream interventions are key,” agrees Lowe, who is a physiotherapist alongside her role as an associate professor researching strength and balance in midlife. “You’ve got to stay active: older women are far less active than older men, and general activity, just moving around and doing stuff, affects balance a lot. For some people, just try to build in an element of balance and muscle strengthening. Can you walk your dog off-road? Could you do yoga or gym work where you feel a little unsteady? Single-legged movements, such as walking lunges, are a great test of dynamic balance, but if you’re new to exercise, even bilateral movements like squats can provide a challenge.”
Locker also says there’s a crucial distinction to be made between balance as many studies define it – standing upright on one leg – and the kind of weight-bearing, one-legged balance that’s important in real-life situations. “Walking on a level surface doesn’t typically include a very challenging element of balance, as your legs are typically locked when your foot contacts the ground,” he says. “Neither does running, unless you’re doing it off-road, as your feet aren’t in sustained contact with the ground. Midlife is the time to choose what I call the bent knee and ankle sports – skiing, ice skating, inline skating, surfing and standup paddleboard. They all include the kind of sustained knee and ankle bending that builds capacity. Unfortunately, taking up one of these sports isn’t an option for more senior citizens – so they’ll need to find other ways to build the same capacity.”
An estimated 150m people around the world practice tai chi. Posed by models. Photograph: kali9/Getty ImagesTai chi, practised by an estimated 50 million people in China and more than three times that worldwide, is one option. As an aerobic workout, it’s not particularly taxing, but studies have shown that as little as eight weeks of practice can improve older adults’ scores on the Tinetti test – a commonly used measure of competence in basic tasks such as rising from a chair and walking – as well as reducing fear of falling. Longer periods of study show further benefits, with the Yang style proving slightly more effective than the faster-paced Sun style. Again, the former typically uses a lower, more bent-legged stance than the latter – suggesting that this style of balance is something to consider.
“Standing on one straight leg isn’t the same as standing on one bent leg,” says Locker, who began practising tai chi with a master who “could throw guys half his age and twice his size around the room”. “When the leg is straight, the skeleton supports the body, not the postural muscles. Older people are commonly advised to practice brushing their teeth standing on one leg to build their balance, but in order to train the postural muscles to support the lower body, you should use one bent leg.” This way, over time, you’ll build not just balance but work capacity.
Whatever activity you choose – and whatever stage of life you’re at – the take-home lesson is to work on your balance before you need to, not after it becomes an issue. Resistance exercise, whether that means lifting weights or hiking with a backpack, comes with a host of other proven health benefits, from improved bone density to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. As Locker puts it: everyone’s told to save money for their retirement, and nobody’s taught to save their balance. But both are difficult to get back once they’re gone.
Just 15 minutes a day of balance practice can be beneficial, but if you have more time, use it. Starting earlier helps: use the exercises below and practice on a hard, level surface.
Joel Snape demonstrating an easy exercise to help improve balance. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/The GuardianEasyStanding on one leg – with your hands resting on a work surface if you’re feeling unsteady – see how long you can maintain your balance. Make it harder by going up on to your tiptoes or doing 10 small knee bends. Do this one while you’re brushing your teeth.
Medium Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/The GuardianFor this movement, start from standing and take a big step forwards, bending your front leg until your trailing knee just brushes the floor. Then push off your front leg and return to a standing position. Progress to walking lunges, where you move across the ground by lunging on alternate sides, and add hand weights in to build muscular strength.
HardStep up … Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/The Guardian
Try step ups on to a step or box: put one foot on to a box and push through on that heel to step up so both feet end up together. To ensure you aren’t using your trailing leg to help, keep your toes off the ground on that foot. Progress by using a higher step or by taking your trailing leg up towards your chest. Try 10 with your right leg and then 10 with your left, and add hand weights to build strength.​

1) You walk faster, use your whole body, and burn more calories. 
Research has shown that you can walk 25% faster with poles (only when using the right pole technique) and you engage 90% of your skeletal muscles. If you walk very sportive, you can burn up to 45% more calories than with regular walking. Even with moderate engagement, you still burn about 18% more calories than without poles. 

2) It is better for your joints. 
Even though Nordic Walking is a full-body workout, it is gentle on your joints. You can take weight off your knees, specially when walking downhill and uphill. Many people with osteoarthritis find that pole-walking is much more convenient for them than regular walking. 

3) It is a better cardiovascular workout - and has many other extra health benefits.
Research has shown that Nordic walking can improve your cardiovascular health in just four weeks. It reduces your blood pressure and can regulate blood sugar levels. 
As Nordic walking engages more parts of your body and makes you walk faster, you get a better aerobic workout. Your metabolism gets a kick-start, and oxygen is flowing through your body much more intensely than with regular walking. 
The pendulum motion of your arms massages your lymphatic system, so Nordic Walking is also very good for people who recover from breast cancer.

4) It is safer.
The two poles give you "four legs", so the risk of a fall is much smaller. Nordic walking is great for people who go through rehab and have to avoid re-injury. It is good for people who feel a bit stiff or unbalanced, for people who live with Parkinson's, and people who suffer or recover from chronic illness. 

5) It is more fun -  it gets you out walking even if you are not in the mood.
Walking with poles is just more exciting... people who get easily bored on their walks love it, as it adds an extra dimension (and a new "toy" - your poles!) to the walk. So even if you just have time to go on a walk in the well-known local park, going pole-walking will motivate you more than just going on yet another stroll. 
​

Bird Monopoly
Put a “price” on some birds you will likely see on your walk (let the kids do it), then on the walk whoever spots one of these birds gets the points rewarded. If somebody sees one that it not on the list, they must find out the name (can ask mum or look it up in a bird book…) and then the kid who saw it first can set the “price” of this bird.
You can include other animals: snails, ladybugs, caterpillars. Be more detailed with older kids (not just caterpillar, but different number of points for different caterpillars).
Only the kid who saw the bird first gets the points, and the same bird cannot be "discovered" again when it flew on the next tree...
Instead of making it a competition among the kids, it could also be a family effort (cumulate the points) and then depending on how many points you achieved, donate to a nature or wildlife charity the end of each season.
You can put lentils in a char to demonstrate the increasing levels of birds spotted.
 
Tree mapping
Find an old tree with many woodpecker holes, broken off branches, gaps between the roots, etc. It ought to be an interesting old tree.
Then let the kids draw it with all the many holes and hiding places and write or paint who might live in which hole. This does not have to be a realistic picture, it can look a bit like an architectural plan of a house, or a puppet house.
 
Tree hole competition
Go on a park or forest walk, and count as many tree holes as you can find. Older kids could track the trees on a map: where were they, how many holes did you see in each tree? You can also send half of the family (with dad) around the left half of the field, and the other half (with mum) around the right half… walking along the tree line and counting tree holes (or birds, or whatever interesting things might be there).
 
Tree hole collage
Take close-up pictures of tree holes, which the kids discovered, print them at home, and make a wall collage with all the tree hole pictures on a dedicated wall at home. The kids then can cut-out birds, beetles, squirrels, and other critters who may live in these holes and attach them with blue tag. They will have to go out and "collect" more tree hole pictures to grow the collage and allow more cut-out paper critters to live on your wall. 
 
Finding Bug Hotel materials
Explain to the kids what a bug hotel is and show them some pictures. Then go out to collect things that you could use in the bug hotel (bark, dry grass, broken branches, etc.).
 
Tree bud detective walk
Collect some pictures of tree buds. Make a check-card with some of the common ones for each child (in each row: tree bud picture on the left, write-in area to the right, stamp area). If they see a certain tree bud on a walk, and recognise it from the picture on their card, they can write down where they saw it, and get a stamp at the side of the picture. When the card is full, they get a treat. 
 
For larger kids:
Use your smart phone to record and look up bird song (you need to use the video function). You then can use rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z, which have sound bites). 

The core goal of your walking should be to enjoy your walk and make time to look at nature and be nurtured by it. Do not push yourself too hard in these difficult times. Nordic Walking is as much for your mental wellbeing as your physical fitness. Find at least one amazing thing in nature that cheers you up on every walk.
At the same time: On each walk take a bit of time (e.g. twice ten minutes on each walk) to work on your technique. Pick one thing of the following list and pay full attention whether you are doing it. If not, self-correct

• Correct arm-swing (driven by your shoulders, not your elbow). Your arms should be almost straight. Do not bring up your knuckles when you swing the poles forward (remember the metaphor of the “Gorilla”; if your arms were longer, you would drag your knuckles along the floor…). If you struggle, stop, and swing your arms from the shoulder. Tell your body that this is the right way to do it. Or do the exercise where you just walk/drag your poles, then give a slight push into the gloves, then only lift the poles, and start Nordic Walking again.
• Pole position: Place/push the poles so that you can propel yourself forward (poles need to be almost 45degrees down, the tip of the back pole should be placed near your back foot before you push off). The more advanced you get, the more you can push the pole behind your back (do not stop when your hand is at the side of your body, push a bit further back).
• Hand position: Do not grab the poles too hard. When you push back, you should feel the push in your glove, not in your hand around the pole. After the push, your hand should actively relax (for more experienced walkers, it will even open). Caution: Do not turn your wrist down when you push back, your fingers should not point down.
• Good posture: Do not crunch your shoulders and look about 3 meters or more ahead of you. This still allows you to see any hindrances on the path and gives you an upright position. Actively open your chest, breathe! If you are more advanced: Lean forward a bit.
• Foot work: Engage your feet in a rolling motion (more than in regular walking): Bring the foot down on the heel and then roll it forward and push off the ball of your foot. Remember, we used the metaphor of us “squeezing a lemon” with our foot. Make sure you push yourself forward, not up.
• If one of your arms is doing a better job than the other, put your poles under your shoulders for a few minutes and only work with the “weaker” arm. Focus on how you sing, place, and push with that arm.

And here are a few more tips about walking with other people (You may walk with one other person during lockdown).

• Make sure that you do not loose your good technique while chatting. The greatest ‘risk’ of chatting while Nordic walking is using the poles more in a trekking way (using them in front of the body with bent elbows, instead of using them to propel yourself forward). Check your pole position occasionally: are you swinging your arms? If you walk too much in the wrong position, your body will think “this is O.K.” and you create a bad habit.
• If you walk with a slower walker without poles, you still can create an upper-body workout for yourself: Take shorter steps, but still push yourself forward with the poles.

Enjoy your training: Ten minutes of focused self-observation and self-correction with just ONE topic as mentioned above will do wonders for you.

Tai Chi Chuan is certainly great for mindfulness and stress release, but it also has been an important martial art since its very beginnings (Tai Chi Chuan means “great ultimate fist”). Some even consider it the “best” martial art, because it also works with internal work and mediation. This makes it very powerful: Every single move has a health and a martial arts benefit.
Secondly, doing applications increases our ability to relax, be mindful, and remain in the flow. It is very easy to be all meditative and ‘cool’ when we stand in a protected room and nobody bothers us. However, when we have a Tai Chi-partner who starts walking towards us and tries to give us a slow, controlled ‘push’, it is much harder to stay calm and relaxed. Our partner work is a test and a good practice of our ability to remain in a mindful and meditative state even when we feel under pressure. We don't 'fight' incoming pressure, but we deflect it in a big circular move...  a very peaceful way of handling it.
This is what we need in real life outside of the training hall: Using our Tai Chi skills to remain calm, balanced and relaxed in every situation. All we do in the class is of course very safe and practiced in slow-motion, and it happens in a friendly atmosphere.

John Keats: Ode to Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.
 
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.
 
Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.


David Whyte: Sweet Darkness
When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.
When your vision has gone
no part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the dark
where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.
There you can be sure
you are not beyond love.
 
The dark will be your womb tonight.
The night will give you a horizon
further than you can see.
You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
Anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.

Shakespeare, Sonnet 73.
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang…