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Feeling Wobbly? How to Build Balance After 60

Feeling Wobbly? How to Build Balance After 60

You’re walking across the room when suddenly, you feel a bit unbalanced.

Maybe you trip slightly on the pavement. Or you catch yourself grabbing for the bannister more often than you like. It might seem small, but these moments can chip away at your confidence. And they’re more common than you think.

Balance naturally declines as we get older. In fact, it starts as early as your 40s, and by your 60s, you may start to notice it in everyday movements.

But here’s the part I love sharing: you can absolutely improve your balance.

With the right approach, it’s possible to feel steadier, stronger, and more in control of your body than you have in years. So, if you’ve been wondering what kind of balance exercises for older women actually work, we’ve got you.

Why Balance Changes With Age

If you’ve noticed you feel more off-kilter than you used to, it’s not just in your head.

There’s a reason balance changes with age, and understanding it is the first step to changing it. Balance relies on a few key systems in the body:

  • Your muscles, which help you stabilise and react
  • Your joints, especially in the ankles, knees and hips
  • Your vision, which helps you orient yourself in space
  • Your inner ear, which controls equilibrium

As we age, each of these systems becomes a bit less responsive:

  • Muscles weaken
  • Joints stiffen
  • Reflexes slow down
  • And our inner ear can become less sensitive

That’s why a small misstep can start to feel like a bigger deal, and why many people start to avoid things like uneven paths, escalators, or even standing for long periods. It’s a sign your balance systems are slowly losing strength and coordination.

But avoiding movement only makes things worse. The key is to train your balance, just like you would train strength or flexibility.

The Hidden Impact of Balance Loss

In the UK, falls are the number one reason older people are taken to A&E. Falling can lead to distress, pain, injury, loss of confidence, loss of independence, and even mortality, in severe cases.

However, the evidence is hopeful. Some research shows that structured exercise (especially ones that combine balance and strength work) can reduce fall risk by up to 42%. In fact, the NHS recommends strength training and balance exercises at least 2x a week to stay healthy. 

With the right approach, you can regain stability, reduce fear, and stay active longer.

The Good News: Balance Can Be Rebuilt

The body is incredibly adaptable. With targeted exercises, even simple ones, you can retrain your balance system, rebuild muscle coordination, and improve your reaction time.

We work on this a lot inside the Goodnick programme. It’s one of the most powerful (and often underrated) parts of feeling stronger and more independent as you age.

Just a few minutes of focused balance work, a few times a week, can lead to big changes, not only in how steady you feel, but how confident you are moving through life.

3 Balance Exercises for Older Women to Try at Home

These are some of my go-to movements to improve balance and stability from home, no gyms or equipment needed. Just a wall, a chair, or a countertop nearby for support if you need it.

1. Heel-to-Toe Walk (a.k.a. Tightrope Walk)

How to do it:

  • Stand tall and walk forward in a straight line, placing the heel of one foot directly in front of the toes of the other.
  • Take 10–15 steps slowly.
  • Keep your eyes forward, not on your feet.
  • Use a wall or counter nearby for support if needed.

Why it works: This helps strengthen your legs and ankles while challenging your balance reflexes—a great foundational exercise for everyday stability.

2. Single–Leg Stand

How to do it:

  • Stand tall behind a chair or counter.
  • Gently lift one foot off the floor, holding your balance for 10–30 seconds.
  • Switch sides.
  • Repeat 2–3 times per leg.

Make it harder: Try doing it with your eyes closed (only if it’s safe and you have support nearby)!

Why it works:
This builds balance through the hips, knees and ankles while also strengthening the muscles in your standing leg.

3. Marching in Place with Control

How to do it:

  • Stand tall and slowly lift one knee to hip height, then lower it.
  • Alternate legs, like a slow-motion march.
  • Keep your core engaged and shoulders relaxed.
  • Aim for 10–15 steps per leg.

Why it works: This improves coordination, builds lower body strength, and mimics the kind of movement you need for stairs, walking or navigating uneven ground.

Bonus: Try our free mini balance challenge.

Balance Isn’t Just Physical. It’s Mental, Too

Feeling unsteady doesn’t just affect your body. It can quietly affect how you see yourself and how you move throughout the world. A less confident, less capable, version of yourself.

But when you improve your balance, you don’t just feel stronger—you also move stronger. You walk a little taller. You stop holding yourself back. And you start saying yes to more of the things you enjoy.

That’s what real progress looks like. And it’s one of the most rewarding parts of what we do here at Goodnick.

Ready to Feel More Steady?

Start with the 9 Week Programme: a simple, structured way to build balance and strength at your pace.