Building Better Balance

Simple exercises can help prevent falls as we age

Our bones are complex tissues that can adapt to the loads they are asked to carry.wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock

I amazed when I saw my 69-year-old aunt sits in a perfect flat-footed squat, like the kind you might see a three-year-old perform. It was amazing.

That kind of balance is not common in people her age. It’s not even particularly common in people decades younger than her. When I commented, she said it was her party trick, walked to the center of her kitchen floor, and effortlessly entered a perfect deep squat before bouncing back up seamlessly.