old guy II wrote:
We will lose strength, balance and other abilities as we age if we don't take affirmative steps to preserve those abilities and skills, but a little research and the same commitment that makes you a successful runner can and should be applied to maintaining balance and overall strength as we get older.
+1. I don't think I can possibly emphasize this enough.
Here is what I do.
1. Stand on a boss ball with one foot, and touch the ball with the opposite side hand.
2. Repeat #1 with the same side hand.
3. Stand on a boss with one foot, and rotate a medicine ball around my waist.
4. Stand on a boss with the flat side up, and touch the boss with a medicine ball. (There is a video of Mo & Galen doing this on flotrack. It took me about a year to master this.)
5. Stand on one foot (on the floor) and swing the other leg forward, backward, and sideways. (I do this with ankle weights or a resistance band. But you can do this without any prop.)
Aside from those, I do a lot of strength exercises on a single leg. (Squat, deadlift, high bench step up, glute bridge on a Swiss ball, etc.)
There are easier versions of each exercise. #1-4 can be done on a floor instead of a boss ball. Or you can just stand on a boss with one foot and hold the position. (This was the first "balance exercise" I did many years ago.)
My week.
M: swimming 1000m.
T: 4 miles / 7 miles.
W: 10 miles. (4th-5th miles @ 7:55-7:41, 6th-9th miles @ 7:30)
R: 4 miles / 7 miles.
F: 8 miles.
SA: 7 miles.
SU: 16.7 miles.
The gym closed at noon today, so I have already done my swimming session in the morning. 13 days to my next race (half).