When we think about healthy aging, most of us immediately think about eating nutritious foods, staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, and keeping our minds sharp. While these are all important pieces of the puzzle, there is one aspect of health that often gets overlooked until it begins to decline:
Balance.
It isn’t something we normally think about because it quietly works in the background every moment of every day. It allows us to walk across a room without hesitation, step off a curb, climb a flight of stairs, carry groceries, work in the garden, or even stand on one foot while putting on a pair of pants. We rarely stop to appreciate it because, for most of our lives, balance simply happens.
As I’ve recently learned, however, balance is far more than just the ability to stand upright. It is one of the greatest predictors of healthy aging. It influences our confidence, our independence, our mobility, and ultimately our quality of life. Without good balance, even the simplest daily activities become more difficult, and our world can gradually begin to shrink. I didn’t fully appreciate this until earlier this year.
About five months ago, after a leg workout at the gym, I noticed a nagging discomfort deep in my right glute. At first, I didn’t think much of it. I’ve spent decades strength training, and aches and pains are occasionally part of an active lifestyle. I assumed it would disappear after a few days. It didn’t. The discomfort lingered for nearly six weeks. Eventually, I contacted my physician, who referred me to physical therapy, and after an evaluation, I learned I had developed Piriformis Syndrome.
The piriformis is a small muscle located deep within the buttock. Although it isn’t a large muscle, it plays an important role in helping to stabilize the hip and rotate the leg. Because the sciatic nerve runs very close to the piriformis, and sometimes even through it, a tight or inflamed piriformis muscle can irritate the nerve, causing pain in the buttock and even discomfort that radiates down the leg. Thankfully, my condition was diagnosed early, and with proper treatment, stretching, and strengthening exercises, it was completely reversible.
I attended physical therapy three times each week for nearly three months. My therapist focused on strengthening my gluteus medius, one of the primary muscles responsible for stabilizing the pelvis. We worked on exercises such as clamshells, side-lying leg lifts, mobility drills, stretching, and flexibility exercises designed to improve my range of motion while reducing the workload placed on the piriformis muscle.
I expected physical therapy to help relieve my pain. What I didn’t expect was the lesson it would teach me about balance.
During one session, my therapist asked me to stand on one leg. Simple enough, I thought. Except it wasn’t.
I quickly realized I couldn’t maintain my balance for very long. Then she asked me to perform simple movements while balancing on one leg—bending forward to touch the floor, tossing a ball, reaching in different directions—and I struggled with every one of them.
I was honestly surprised. I’ve spent years in the gym; I’m an IFBB Professional bodybuilder, and I strength-train five to six days every week, dedicating much of my time to maintaining my health and fitness. I considered myself strong. Yet despite all of that, I had neglected one important component of physical fitness: Balance. It was a humbling realization.
Like many people, I had assumed that because I was physically fit, my balance would naturally be good. But strength and balance are not the same thing. They work together, but one does not automatically guarantee the other.
That experience changed the way I think about healthy aging.
As we grow older, our bodies naturally undergo changes. We gradually lose muscle mass, our joints become less flexible, and our reaction time slows. The communication between our brain, muscles, joints, vision, and inner ear becomes less efficient. These changes may be a normal part of aging, but they don’t mean we have to surrender our independence. This is where balance becomes so important.
Balance is our body’s built-in protection system. Every time we walk across an uneven sidewalk, step off a curb, reach for something on a high shelf, or catch ourselves after tripping over the family dog, our bodies make hundreds of tiny adjustments without us ever realizing it. Our muscles contract, our core stabilizes us, our eyes help orient us, and our brain processes all of this information in fractions of a second.
When this system is working well, we barely notice it. When it isn’t, the consequences can be life-changing.
Falls remain one of the leading causes of injury among adults over the age of 65. A single fall can result in broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, lengthy hospital stays, and months of rehabilitation. Unfortunately, many older adults never fully regain the level of independence they once enjoyed after a serious fall. I’ve witnessed this firsthand.
Several years ago, my mother-in-law stepped off a curb and lost her balance. What appeared to be a routine misstep resulted in a traumatic head injury. Watching her health decline afterward was heartbreaking. It wasn’t simply the injury itself that changed her life. It was everything that followed. Her confidence diminished. Her independence became more limited. Everyday activities that once seemed effortless suddenly required assistance.
That experience stayed with me. At the time, I viewed it as an unfortunate accident. Today, I understand that balance plays a much larger role than I once realized. Perhaps the greatest gift good balance gives us is independence.
Think about your daily routine. Getting out of bed. Stepping into the shower. Walking through a parking lot. Carrying groceries into the house. Climbing stairs. Reaching into the kitchen cabinets. Gardening. Traveling. Walking on the beach. Putting luggage into the overhead compartment on an airplane.
None of these activities happen without balance. Because these movements are so automatic, we rarely stop to think about them. However, each one requires our body to constantly shift weight, stabilize itself, and react to changing surfaces and environments.
When balance declines, even ordinary activities become challenging. People begin avoiding situations where they feel unsteady. They stop taking walks. They avoid hiking trails or crowded places. They hesitate to travel. They become more cautious getting in and out of the bathtub or climbing stairs. Over time, fear begins replacing confidence.
Ironically, this creates a dangerous cycle. When people become afraid of falling, they naturally move less. As activity decreases, muscles weaken, reaction time slows further, and balance continues to deteriorate. The less they move, the greater their risk of falling becomes.
It doesn’t have to be this way. One of the most encouraging things I learned during physical therapy is that balance is a skill. Like strength, flexibility, and endurance, it can be trained.
In fact, our brains and bodies are remarkably adaptable. Every time we challenge our balance, we strengthen the communication between our brain and our muscles. We improve coordination. We sharpen our reaction time. We build confidence. The key is consistency.
Since completing physical therapy, I’ve intentionally incorporated balance into my everyday routine. Sometimes I’ll stand on one foot while brushing my teeth, washing dishes, or waiting for my morning coffee to brew. When I put on my pants, I challenge myself to remain standing instead of sitting down. This continues to be very challenging. Good thing nobody is watching me.
These aren’t complicated exercises. They don’t require expensive equipment or a gym membership. They’re simply small opportunities to challenge my body throughout my day and regular routines. Those little moments add up.
Of course, I continue to strength train because building and maintaining muscle remains one of the best investments we can make as we age. Strong muscles support our joints, improve bone health, and help us perform everyday tasks with greater ease. But I now understand that strength alone isn’t enough.
For me personally, this has become one of the biggest reasons I continue exercising at 71 years old.
Independence.
I don’t train because I’m chasing a certain number on the scale or trying to look younger. I train because I want to remain physically capable in my 80s and 90s. I want to continue traveling, gardening, carrying my own groceries, hiking beautiful trails, and climbing stairs without hesitation.
Most of all, I want to maintain the freedom to live life on my own terms. That, to me, is what healthy aging is really about.
Research continues to reinforce the importance of balance as we age. Studies have shown that the ability to stand on one leg is closely associated with overall health, mobility, and longevity. While no single test can predict how long someone will live, maintaining good balance appears to reflect how well multiple systems within the body are working together.
When I first learned about this research, it certainly caught my attention. Here I was thinking I was aging exceptionally well, only to discover there was one area of fitness I had unintentionally ignored. Instead of becoming discouraged, I chose to see it as an opportunity.
The beauty of wellness is that we are always learning. No matter our age, there is always something we can improve.
That’s one of the reasons I love sharing my experiences. If my journey encourages even one person to start practicing balance today instead of waiting until after a fall, then sharing my story has been worthwhile.
Healthy aging isn’t about perfection. It’s about making intentional choices that allow us to continue enjoying life for as long as possible. Sometimes those choices involve preparing nutritious meals, lifting weights, or going for a walk with a friend. And sometimes they’re as simple as standing on one foot while brushing your teeth.
The important thing is that we keep moving, keep challenging our bodies, keep investing in our future selves—because every healthy choice we make today is a gift to the person we hope to become tomorrow.
Balance may never receive the same attention as strength training or cardiovascular exercise, but it deserves a place alongside both. It quietly influences nearly every movement we make and plays an essential role in preserving the independence, confidence, and freedom we value so deeply.
As I’ve learned this year, healthy aging isn’t simply about living longer. It’s about continuing to live well. It’s about remaining active enough to say “yes” to the experiences that bring us joy. It’s about having the confidence to travel, garden, exercise, play with grandchildren, and continue embracing life with enthusiasm.
At 71, I still have goals, adventures I want to experience, places I want to visit, and memories I want to create. Taking care of my balance is now part of that journey, and I hope it becomes part of yours too.
