Can you actually improve your balance after 60?

“My balance isn't what it used to be.”

It's something many people notice as they get older.

Maybe you're a little more cautious walking across uneven ground.

You reach for the railing on the stairs.

You feel less confident standing on one leg.

Or you simply don't trust your body quite as much as you once did.

But here's the important part.

Balance isn't something you either have or you don't.

Balance is a physical skill.

And like many physical skills, it can be trained.

What actually is balance?

It might seem simple, but staying upright requires your body and brain to process a surprising amount of information.

Your balance is influenced by several systems working together, including:

Your vision.

Your inner ear.

Sensation from your feet, joints and muscles.

Your muscular strength.

Your coordination.

Your ability to react when your body moves unexpectedly.

Your brain continually processes all of this information and makes tiny adjustments to keep you upright.

One important part of this system is proprioception.

What is proprioception?

Proprioception is essentially your body's awareness of where it is in space.

Try closing your eyes and touching your finger to your nose.

You don't need to see your hand to have some idea where it is.

That's proprioception.

When you're walking, stepping over something or recovering after losing your footing, your brain is constantly receiving information about the position of your body.

That's one of the reasons varied movement is so valuable.

We want to continue giving these systems opportunities to work.

Why can balance change as we get older?

There isn't one single reason.

Changes in muscle strength, reaction time, vision, sensation, mobility and activity levels can all influence how confidently we move.

Sometimes something else happens too.

We become cautious.

If you're worried about losing your balance, you may start avoiding situations that challenge it.

You stop getting down onto the floor.

You avoid uneven walking tracks.

You hold onto something whenever you're standing.

You move less.

That can create a cycle where you're giving your body fewer opportunities to practise the very skills you want to maintain.

The answer isn't to deliberately put yourself in unsafe situations.

It's to challenge your balance progressively in a controlled environment.

Australia's recommendations specifically include balance training

Australia's current 24 Hour Movement Guidelines recommend adults aged 65 and over perform functional activities targeting mobility, balance and coordination on at least 3 days each week.

They also recommend muscle strengthening activity at least twice a week.

That's significant.

Because staying active isn't just about accumulating steps.

We need to train different physical qualities.

Strength is one.

Balance and coordination are others.

Can exercise really improve balance?

Yes.

Research has repeatedly shown that targeted exercise can improve measures of balance in older adults.

A systematic review examining proprioceptive and sensorimotor exercises found significant improvements across a number of commonly used balance tests in older adults.

There is also strong evidence connecting exercise with fall prevention.

A major Cochrane review included 108 randomised trials involving more than 23,000 older adults living in the community.

Overall, exercise reduced the rate of falls by approximately 23%.

Programs primarily involving balance and functional exercises reduced falls by around 24%.

Programs combining several forms of exercise, commonly balance and functional training together with resistance training, showed an even larger reduction in falls in the studies reviewed.

That doesn't mean exercise can guarantee somebody will never fall.

Falls can have many causes.

But it does tell us something important:

Balance and functional ability are worth training.

Balance training doesn't mean standing on one leg for an hour

This is another misconception.

Balance training can take many forms.

It might involve:

Standing with a narrower base of support.

Standing on one leg.

Changing direction.

Stepping forwards, backwards or sideways.

Moving your centre of gravity.

Reaching.

Stepping over objects.

Walking on different surfaces.

Performing controlled movements while standing.

Strengthening the muscles that help support you.

Moving from sitting to standing.

Practising getting down towards the floor and back up.

A good program gradually makes these activities more challenging as your ability improves.

Strength and balance work together

This is why we don't really think of strength and balance as completely separate things.

Imagine losing your balance slightly while walking.

Your body has to recognise that you've moved away from your stable position.

Then react.

Then produce enough force through your muscles to recover.

Balance therefore isn't only about coordination.

Having sufficient strength matters too.

It's one of the reasons programs combining strength, balance and functional movement can be so valuable as we age.

Where does Reformer Pilates fit?

A Reformer gives us a really interesting environment to train movement.

There are exercises where the machine provides support, allowing someone to work on strength and movement with more stability.

Then, as someone's ability progresses, we can introduce exercises that require greater control, coordination and balance.

But we don't rely on the Reformer alone.

At Redefine, our Active Aging program combines several types of movement because we want to train different physical qualities.

Reformer Pilates can challenge strength, control and mobility.

Strength Circuits provide progressive resistance and functional exercises.

Standing work challenges balance and coordination.

Yoga and mobility based movement can expose the body to different positions and ranges of movement.

Together, you're building a more capable body.

But the real goal isn't standing on one leg

There is a much bigger outcome we're interested in.

Confidence.

Confidence walking on uneven ground.

Confidence using stairs.

Confidence travelling somewhere new.

Confidence getting in and out of the shower.

Confidence playing with your grandchildren.

Confidence getting onto the floor.

Confidence knowing that if your body gets slightly out of position, it has practised responding.

That's why we train balance.

Not so you can achieve the world's longest single leg stand.

So you can feel more confident using your body in the real world.

It's never about being perfect

Everyone starts somewhere.

You might hold onto something when you first practise a balance exercise.

That's okay.

You might only be able to stand on one leg for a few seconds.

That's okay too.

Progress might initially be as simple as using one hand instead of two for support.

Then one finger.

Then perhaps no hands at all.

Training works by progressively asking your body to do a little more.

Start before you think you “need” to

Balance training shouldn't only begin after someone has fallen.

Just like strength training, it's something we can proactively include in our weekly movement.

Australia's current guidelines encourage exactly that.

So rather than thinking:

“My balance isn't what it used to be.”

We'd like you to start thinking:

“What am I doing to train it?”

Because balance isn't simply something we lose with age.

It's something we can continue to practise.

And that practice can help give us something incredibly valuable:

Confidence in our own body.

Ready to give it a try?

Our Active Aging program at Redefine combines Reformer Pilates, strength, mobility and balance work in a supportive environment designed specifically for older adults.

Our Active Aging Intro Offer gives you 2 weeks to experience the different classes for $49.

[START YOUR ACTIVE AGEING INTRO OFFER]

Not sure where to begin?

Get in touch with our team and we'll help you find the right starting point.

References

Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Australian 24 Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults and Older Adults, 2026.

World Health Organization. Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour.

Sherrington C, Fairhall NJ, Wallbank GK, et al. Exercise for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Hillier S, Immink M, Thewlis D. Sensorimotor and proprioceptive exercise programs to improve balance in older adults: systematic review and meta analysis.

General information only. Individual health conditions and fall risk vary. People with significant balance problems, recent falls or health concerns should speak with an appropriate health professional before commencing a new exercise program.