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Staying Healthy
Reduce your fear of falling
- By Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Improving your balance, strength, flexibility, and gait will give you the confidence to stay active.
Falling poses a major risk for injury as we get older, and it’s no wonder that many of us have a real fear of it. Unfortunately, fear of falling often winds up increasing the chance of a devastating spill. To protect your mobility and independence, it’s important to address this fear.
Fear factors
Fear of falling often develops for two reasons. One is an awareness of age-related changes. Body systems that keep you steady — your muscles, joints, cognition, vision, hearing, nerves, and reaction time — all start to decline. You wind up being weaker and less flexible. You might have chronic aches and pains. That leads to heightened caution.
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Better Balance: Simple exercises to improve stability and prevent falls
Discover how you can prevent falls by improving your balance and mobility. Better Balance: Simple exercises to improve stability and prevent falls gives you step-by-step instructions for easy, effective workouts that will improve posture, increase muscle strength and speed, sharpen reflexes, expand flexibility, and firm your core. You'll also get tips for fall-proofing your home.
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