For years, we’ve heard about the benefits of swimming and water aerobics for older adults. And to be fair, they do offer a lot, including low-impact movement, heart health, and gentle strength-building. But if we’re talking specifically about staying steady on your feet, about preventing falls, maintaining balance, and walking with confidence into your seventies and eighties, then neither of those makes the top of my list.
The best exercise for seniors over 65 to stay steady on their feet is something simple: strength and balance training focused on the lower body. Think squats, heel raises, and “simple” exercises like standing on one leg while brushing your teeth.
I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal. There’s no soothing music or poolside camaraderie. But this kind of targeted movement does something that swimming simply can’t. It teaches your body to balance itself on land and under gravity.
And, at this stage of life, that’s a lot.
Why Balance Training Matters More Than Ever
We lose muscle mass as we age. It’s a quiet, gradual process called sarcopenia, and it begins as early as our thirties. By the time we’re in our sixties or seventies, we may have lost up to 30% of our muscle mass if we’re not actively working to maintain it. That includes the small stabilizing muscles in our ankles, knees, hips, and core. Exactly the ones we rely on to catch ourselves when we trip or to reach a shelf without toppling over.
Now, throw in slower reflexes, a slight decline in vision or hearing, and maybe a bit of arthritis, and it’s easy to see why falls become more common as we age. And why one bad fall can change everything.
But here’s the good news: strength and balance are both highly trainable. Even well into our eighties and beyond. You’re not stuck with the balance you’ve got. You can get better at it. Much better.
The Real MVPs: Functional Lower Body Exercises
Let’s talk specifics. The kinds of exercises that actually help you stay upright aren’t fancy. They mimic real-life movements and challenge your stability in practical ways. A few examples:
- Sit-to-stands from a chair (essentially a squat with purpose)
- Heel-to-toe walking, like you’re on a balance beam
- Standing leg lifts, with or without support
- Calf raises while holding onto a counter
- Sideways stepping or stepping over low obstacles
These aren’t about “getting fit” in the beach-body sense. They’re about retraining your body to handle everyday demands like getting out of a car, stepping off a curb, reaching for something on a high shelf.
And if you can do those things without hesitating, wobbling or holding your breath, that’s real fitness.
Why Swimming Doesn’t Cut It (At Least Not Alone)
Let me be clear. I’m not knocking swimming or water aerobics. They’re great for joint health, cardiovascular endurance, and even mood. But they happen in a forgiving environment.
In the water, your body doesn’t have to fight gravity the same way. There’s less weight to carry, less risk of falling, and less need for the micro-adjustments that make balancing on land so tricky. That’s a strength in some ways. But it’s also a limitation.
If the goal is to stay steady on dry land, you have to train on dry land.
It’s a bit like learning to play the piano on a keyboard that has no resistance. You can go through the motions, but your fingers won’t build the same strength. And when you sit at a real piano, your technique might fall apart.
The Role of Core and Posture
Here’s something else I wish more people talked about: balance starts at your center. Core strength isn’t just about ab exercises. It’s about the entire midsection working in harmony to keep you upright. It includes your obliques, your lower back, and even the deep pelvic muscles that help control movement.
Posture, too, is part of the equation. A stooped posture throws off your center of gravity. Over time, this changes the way you move, walk, and recover from stumbles.
Simple exercises like pelvic tilts, bird dogs, and gentle spinal extensions can reawaken these muscles. And yes, they matter just as much as your legs do when it comes to avoiding a fall.
Research Backs This Up
Research indicates that multicomponent programs, which combine strength, balance, and coordination exercises, are the most effective in reducing falls among older adults. A comprehensive review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) found that fall-prevention exercise programs can reduce falls by 23%, with those that include balance training specifically being the most impactful.
The CDC also emphasizes that lower body weakness is one of the primary risk factors for falls and that strength training combined with balance practice can significantly reduce this risk.
According to the same BJSM research, when older adults follow exercise routines that combine several key elements within the category of ProFaNE (Prevention of Falls Network Europe), especially balance training, functional movements, and resistance work, their risk of falling drops significantly by as much as 34%. These forms of exercise include standing on one foot, walking across uneven ground, stepping over obstacles, or getting up from a low chair. I will classify this under balance and functional training.
Resistance training, on the other hand, is about building strength. That might mean using weights, resistance bands, or just your own bodyweight. Think squats, lunges, and bicep curls. Just enough solid movements that strengthen the muscles we rely on to stay upright and mobile.
When you combine the two, you get better results. You could structure it this way: Maybe 10 minutes spent on things like step-ups or single-leg stands, then 15 minutes of targeted strength work like leg extensions, squats, or upper body sets with dumbbells. (We will touch on that in the next section.)
This mixed approach has been proven to help older adults prevent falls. Another popular form of exercise to help with falls is Tai Chi. The report also proves that it can reduce the rate of falls by up to 19%.
How to Start (Even If You’re Not “Into Exercise”)
You don’t need a gym membership or expensive equipment. You don’t even need an exercise mat. What you need is consistency and intentional movement.
You could start from here:
- Stand on one foot while brushing your teeth or waiting for the kettle to boil.
- Do 10 sit-to-stands from your dining chair before lunch.
- Walk sideways down the hallway and back once a day.
- Rise onto your toes while washing the dishes.
- Practice stepping over small objects at home—a low book, a cushion, anything safe.
It doesn’t have to be formal. It just has to be regular.
If You Want a Program, Try This Format
A 3-times-a-week routine for 20 minutes can work wonders. Here’s a simple structure:
- Warm-up (3 minutes): March in place, gentle arm swings
- Balance (7 minutes): Heel-to-toe walk, one-leg stands, weight shifts
- Strength (7 minutes): Sit-to-stands, leg lifts, toe and heel raises
- Cool down (3 minutes): Gentle stretches, ankle rolls, deep breathing
Adapt it as needed. Hold onto a chair for support. Go slower. Build gradually. It’s your pace that matters, not anyone else’s.
The Mental Shift That Makes It Stick
I think part of what trips people up, no pun intended, is the belief that balance training is only for those already unsteady. As if it’s a remedial thing. But the truth is, balance is a skill. Like driving or cooking. You either keep practicing it or you start losing it.
Treat it like a skill and build it. Let it be something you actively maintain, not something you hope will stick around just because it always has.
Wrapping Up…
There is dignity in being able to move through the world on your own terms. To rise and walk confidently even when the terrain is uneven or unfamiliar.
That kind of independence doesn’t come from luck. It comes from strength, practice, and standing up, literally, for your own well-being.
If you’re over 65, or know someone who is, skip the hype and go for what works.
It’s not only swimming. It’s not fancy gym routines.
It’s you, your body, and a few grounded, steady movements that remind you what it feels like to be strong on your feet.
And if that’s not worth training for, I don’t know what is.