BALANCE. USE IT OR LOSE IT!

cmain50
3 days ago
3 min read

Date: 7th March 2026

Hi everyone and welcome to my 3rd newsletter! I’m so excited to share this information with you and hope you enjoy reading it, find some useful takeaways, and pass it on to a friend.

Most importantly, I’d love to hear your thoughts—both on this edition and any ideas you have for future ones. Topic of the Month: BALANCE USE IT OR LOSE IT – one of my favourite & frequent sayings.

Lets start with some stark and scary statistics from The Centre For Aging Better trust.

'' One third of people over 65 and half of people over 80 fall at least once a year, leading to around 70,000 fractures. Once you’ve fractured a bone, only 24% of people return to their previous level of movement and independence. Nearly 4000 people died from having a fall in 2014. And even if you’re not too badly affected physically, falls can destroy confidence, increase isolation and reduce independence, with around 1 in 10 older people who fall becoming afraid to leave their homes in case they fall again.''

More stark news, I’m afraid. ‘older’ means over 60! How did that happen???????

BUT! Read on…….. Balance. Think of it as one of your superpowers. You have neural pathways from muscles to brain, and every movement is micromanaged, and your muscles adjust, after taking in all the given information from your eyes, ears, joints and nervous system. Have you tried standing on one leg lately? Have you noticed your foot moving – ever so slightly, your calf and shins moving, and all of them may start to ache a little and get tired? That’s the micromanaging going on! It just happens – or you hope it does. Because if it didn’t you would surely fall over! Public footpaths if left unused for 7 years could have been shut down. Equate this to your balance. If you don’t use those neural pathways, they simply shut down.

But worry not, You can re-open them – WITH PRACTICE!

Your balance powers almost every move you make. If you’re walking, running, moving from sitting to standing, lifting, reaching, or turning, your body is constantly making tiny adjustments to keep you steady. So, when you train for balance, you're not just working your legs – you're strengthening those pathways, boosting the speed and precision of the brain-to-muscle communication. The stronger that connection becomes, the smoother and more confidently you move. When balance starts to fail, it’s often because the stabilising muscles aren’t firing quickly enough, or the neural pathways aren’t sending those signals as efficiently. Things like sitting too much, inactivity, past injuries, or even aging can slow down that response time. But don’t worry – progressive balance training can reawaken those stabilisers. It strengthens your ankles, legs and hips, engages your core, and improves your spinal coordination. That means fewer awkward steps, less compensation, and less strain on your joints, helping to avoid pain or injury. Strong balance = better control over your movement and getting on with life!

And the good news: balance training helps you build real-world resilience. There will always be unpredictable moments, like stepping on uneven ground, walking on icy paths, turning quickly, or catching yourself from a slip. That’s injury prevention in action. Even small improvements in balance can lead to huge gains in long-term strength, confidence, and independence!

So, let’s give you the tools to improve or keep your balance: Try these – regularly!

1 keep moving. Fidget.

2 Clean your teeth standing on 1 leg