Curb Walking at 71: The Balance Drill I Sneak Into Every Walk
Don't fall down.
That's the whole message of today's video, and I mean it more than it sounds.
Why I Keep Talking About Falling
A week or so ago I talked about how many funerals I have been to lately. I have been to almost half as many in the last year as in my entire life. Some of that is simply that my friends and I are getting older.
But it is how they are dying that stopped me. About half of them died as a result of a fall. Fall down, hit your head, a brain bleed, and it is over.
That is not just my circle. According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for adults 65 and older, about one in four older adults falls every year, and the fall death rate has been climbing.
The good news is that one of the biggest risk factors is something you can work on: balance.
What I Do: I Walk the Curb
I already walk a straight line heel to toe every day. This is the other one, and it costs me nothing because I am walking anyway.
Kathy and I walk twice a day, and we aim for somewhere between 7,500 and 10,000 steps. While we are out, I will step up onto the curb and walk along it for 40 or 50 steps. Then I step off, walk normally for a while, and get back on.
It does not sound hard. Try it after 70. A curb is a narrow strip, and walking along it makes your ankles, hips and feet do the small constant corrections that keep you upright. That is exactly the skill that fades with age, and exactly the skill you need in the half second before a trip turns into a fall.
How to Do It Safely
A few things I have learned so this helps you instead of hurting you:
- Pick a low curb on a quiet street, not one next to traffic.
- Walk it with someone the first few times, the way I do with Kathy.
- Look ahead, not at your feet. Your eyes are part of your balance.
- Step off the moment you wobble. The point is practice, not proving anything.
- Daylight and dry pavement only. A wet curb is a different exercise entirely.
Some neighborhoods do not have curbs. If yours does not, a painted line on a parking lot or the edge of a sidewalk works the same way.
Come Walk With Me
I post every day about longevity and health in my Facebook group — a health tip, an anti-aging tip, a supplement tip. Come join us at garyleland.com/facebook. And tell me in the comments what you do for balance. I am always looking for the next one.
Keep Going
Everything I take is on my protocols page. What I do to stay strong is on my fitness page, and every blood number I publish is on my test and stats page.
Live long and prosper,
Gary
A note from Gary: I am not a doctor, and I am definitely not your doctor. I am a 71-year-old man running a 129-year experiment on myself and publishing the results as they come. Talk to your physician before changing anything about your own health.
These are products I use on my push to 200. I only put something on this list after I’ve tested it on myself. The links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
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