- Tight-rope walk. Walk heel-to-toe. Position your heel just in front of the toes of the opposite foot each time you take a step. Your heel and toes should touch or almost touch. After taking 10-20 steps forward, reverse and walk backwards toe to heel along the same imaginary line.
Take the challenge! Do this walk with a paper plate on your head. With a little extra focus on your posture and balance, that plate will stay put! - Balanced stand. Stand on one foot. Hold your weight on one leg for 10 seconds or longer. Then switch feet. Try this while waiting in line at the grocery store or at the bus stop.
- Sit and stand. Get up from a chair and sit back down without support of your hands on the chair. Try to stand when sitting close to the front edge of the chair seat. (Sometimes it helps to clasp hands together and reach forward while trying to stand up).
- Walk backwards by 10 steps, then turn around, and complete backwards walking 10 more steps.
- Walk sideways 10 steps, then repeat going the opposite direction.
- When walking around the neighborhood, try stepping over the cracks in the sidewalk. Remember to alternate legs when stepping over the cracks.
- Going up or down stairs, try alternating steps (one foot on each step) either when going up and/or down. Sometimes going up may be easier this way than going down. Example: Alternating steps when going up and performing step-to (step down on one step with both feet) when going down. Now if you are confident, try performing the steps without propping on the rail when going up and/or down.
