Like any skill, your sense of balance can be improved with practice.

If you’ve ever slipped on a patch of ice or tripped on a rug, you know how easy it can be to take a tumble.

In homes alone, falls account for almost 4 million emergency room visits annually and about 54 percent of all injury-related deaths, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The older you get, the greater your risk of falling and suffering a debilitating injury from a fall, such as a broken bone or head trauma.

That’s because your sense of balance can be affected by the strength of your muscles, your endurance, your inner-ear function, and your eyesight. All of these can diminish with age.

Being younger doesn’t exempt you from falling, though. University of Missouri research involving 190 adults ages 20 to 79 found that people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s can have issues that affect balance, too.

The good news is that you can protect yourself from falls by maintaining and even improving your balance now and as you age. How? By practicing specific exercises that target this skill.

Here are six balance activities you can do easily at home. They’ll challenge you and ultimately help keep you in good standing. If you’re currently inactive or have health issues, talk with your doctor first.

Standing Balance Stance
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Extend your arms in front of you and then out to your sides; reach 6 inches in each direction. Keep your feet planted and maintain your balance for 15 seconds. Repeat five times in each direction (forward, left, and right).

To make this exercise more challenging, stand on one leg while lifting your opposite leg as high as you can in front of you and hold for 15 seconds. Relax and repeat three more times, alternating legs.

As your balance improves, try doing these exercises with your eyes closed, on a foam pad or a balance disk known as a Bosu, or by moving your head side to side.

The Coin Toss
Walk three steps toward a penny on the ground. Pick it up by squatting down and then standing up.

Walk three more steps and repeat for a total of five reps.

Spelling Test
While balancing on one leg, try to spell out words with your other leg (the one that’s not holding you up) without letting it touch the ground. Try writing your name, the day of the week, or your favorite foods.

Toe the Line
With your arms extended shoulder-high at your sides, walk heel to toe by putting your heel in front of the toe of your other foot so that they touch as if you were walking on a balance beam.

Focus on a spot ahead of you and try to stay steady as you walk across the room. To up the ante, try doing this exercise with your eyes closed, your arms folded across your chest, or on tiptoes.

Sitting, Single-Leg Raises
Sit on a stability ball with your arms crossed at your chest. Raise and lower your right leg 10 times. Repeat with your left leg.

Sit Down, Stand Up
Sit straight in a firm chair that won’t slide and cross your arms across your chest. Don’t lean against the seat back. Stand up straight without using your arms or bracing your legs against the back of the chair. Sit down again as quickly as you can without using your arms.

By Sandra Gordon, a feature writer for Vitality. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov.

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