Your Personal Best: Balance exercise

As we get older, we lose muscle. As we lose muscle, we lose our strength and balance.

But Dr. Milady Murphy has a simple exercise called walking the tightrope that can help counteract that process.

Here’s how it works:

• Place your hand firmly against a wall while standing about 3 feet away, with your opposite hand outstretched from your shoulder
• Place one foot in front of the other, heel to toe and walk forward for 10 steps while keeping your head neutral
• Walk backward the same way for 10 steps, making sure you keep your hand against the wall for balance if necessary
• Repeat two to four times daily or every other day

“This will not only help with balance and alignment but also lower leg strength,” Murphy said.

If you have a balance condition associated with an underlying medical issue, work with your physician on appropriate treatment.