Balance After 50: Why Strength, Flexibility and Stability Matter More as We Age

I hate to admit this, but I fall.

Not often. Maybe once a year or so.

But when I fall, I don't mess around. I fully commit.

By the end of the fall, all parts of me are on the ground and whatever I was holding has rolled away or, sometimes, flown away.

And when I say I fall, I don't mean I trip over something. I mean my ankle rolls, or I step on uneven ground and can't automatically course-correct. My body doesn't make the adjustment quickly enough and down I go.

And I don't do this in the privacy of my own home.

I do this in public. Often around strangers.

It's horrifying and embarrassing but also concerning. Because frankly, I don't think I should be falling.

My Osaka Wake-Up Call

Which brings me to Japan.

My husband, our friends and I were in Osaka, standing on a busy sidewalk with our arms full of shopping bags.

And then my ankle rolled.

And down I went.

Everything I was carrying went sprawling across the sidewalk.

And, naturally, so did I.

Like I said: horrifying.

But somewhere between the embarrassment of collecting my shopping bags and pretending I was completely fine, I realized something.

That fall wasn't just an embarrassing travel story.

It was information.

My body was telling me something.

It was telling me that balance isn't something I can take for granted. That strength isn't just about the muscles I can see. That mobility matters. That stability matters. And that if I want to stay physically capable as I get older, I need to keep challenging my body to do more than simply sit at a desk and walk on flat, predictable surfaces.

I don't want to wait until I'm 70 to decide that balance is important.

I want to work on it now.

Falling Has Put My Fitness into Perspective

What falling does for me, besides humbling me, is put my physical fitness into perspective.

For me, it's a pretty clear sign that I need to work on my balance and strengthen the small muscles around my ankles. Because I would really like to walk confidently down a sidewalk or go on a hike with friends without…well…falling.

And there's another reason this matters to me.

I'm in my mid-50s. I can still fall and generally get back up. But at some point, I won't bounce quite as well as I do today. The seemingly incidental spills that are embarrassing now can become much more consequential as I get older.

Broken bones. Bruised tailbones. Injuries that take longer to heal. And, perhaps most importantly, a growing fear of falling that could make me less willing to move around in the first place.

So, if I'm being brutally honest with myself, this isn't just about my ankles.

I need to work on my balance, my flexibility, my leg strength, my core strength and all those little stabilizing muscles that I don't think about until they fail me.

Balance Isn't Just Balance

I used to think of balance as one of those things you either had or didn't have.

You know what I mean. Stand on one foot. Don't wobble. Congratulations, you have balance.

But that's not really how I use balance in everyday life.

I'm constantly making tiny adjustments without thinking about them. Walking over uneven pavement. Stepping off a curb. Getting out of a chair. Turning around quickly. Hiking over rocks. Carrying groceries. Walking down a flight of stairs.

My body is constantly figuring out where I am in space and making adjustments to keep me upright.

And when I was younger, a lot of this happened automatically.

Now, I'm realizing that strength, mobility, coordination and the ability to react quickly all matter if I want to stay steady on my feet.

Which means balance isn't really a single skill.

It's the result of a body that is strong enough, mobile enough and coordinated enough to respond when something unexpected happens.

And apparently, I need to practice that.

Strong Legs Are Great. Strong Ankles Matter Too.

I'm pretty good at focusing on the big muscles.

I lift weights. I think about my glutes and my quads. I think about my core.

But the little stabilizing muscles?

Not so much.

And that's probably a mistake.

My feet and ankles are my connection to the ground. They're constantly making tiny adjustments as I walk and move. If those muscles aren't strong enough to help stabilize me, I'm giving my body fewer tools to keep me upright.

But I'm also realizing that this can't just be an ankle project.

If I want to remain physically capable as I get older, I need a strong lower body.

I need strong legs and hips. I need a strong core. I need enough mobility to move through a reasonable range of motion. And I need to practice movements that challenge my stability.

In other words, I don't just want to be strong when I'm standing still in a gym.

I want to be strong while I'm living my life.

Which Is Harder When Your Body Hurts

Of course, there can sometimes be complications.

I'm currently waiting on a hip replacement, and while I wait, walking is difficult. Lifting can exacerbate the pain. And if I'm being brutally honest with myself, I'm using the pain as an excuse not to move my body.

Never mind that there are plenty of things I can still do.

My orthopedic surgeon has told me I can ride a bike and continue with certain activities like upper-body strength work. I can do many core exercises. I can stretch as long as I'm careful with my hip.

Am I doing all of those things?

Sometimes.

But my hip hurts. And I don't particularly like working out. And I am exceptionally good at finding reasons not to exercise.

Like my hip hurting.

This is where aging gets challenging.

There will probably be more of these moments.

More aches. More injuries. More things that don't work exactly the way they used to. More reasons to sit on the couch and tell myself I'll get back to it when I feel better.

But if maintaining physical capability is important to me, I can't wait for my body to be perfect before I use it.

I have to figure out what I can do and then actually do it.

Safely, intelligently and with the guidance of the professionals who are treating me.

I started using this https://link.amazon/B06b2qehu. At least once a week, I'll spend a few minutes standing on it one foot at a time. And if I'm feeling daring, I'll close my eyes.

Ready to Reset Your Body?

If, like me, you're starting to think a little differently about what your body needs as you get older, this free Body Reset Guide is a good place to start.

It's not about overhauling your life or committing to some punishing new fitness routine. It's a simple way to take stock of where you are now and think about what you want to strengthen, improve and maintain for the years ahead.

I'm Training for Life

This is the part I'm trying to remind myself of.

I'm not working on my balance because I want to become exceptionally good at standing on one foot.

I'm not lifting weights because I want to win a bodybuilding competition.

I'm not stretching because I want to become a contortionist.

I'm doing these things because I want to keep doing normal life.

I want to hike with my friends.

I want to walk around a new city all day.

I want to carry my own bags.

I want to get up off the floor.

I want to walk down an uneven sidewalk without my ankle deciding that today is the day we're going down.

And I want to be able to do those things for a very long time.

That changes the way I think about fitness.

The goal isn't necessarily to become fitter.

The goal is to remain capable.

Because the goal of fitness after 50 isn't just to look strong.

It's to be strong enough, mobile enough and steady enough to keep saying yes to the life I want to live.

And, ideally, to make it through the next trip to Japan without ending up underneath my own shopping bags.

Ready to Reset Your Second Act?

You don’t have to figure out your next chapter all at once. The free Second Act Reset Guide gives you simple prompts and exercises to help you reflect on where you are, what matters now, and what you want next.