Avoid Tripping & Falling Forever

Over the 18 years since starting this newsletter I will include an article on preventing falls when I see someone trip over which reminds me to talk about it. I saw two trips last week, the way to fall well and the way not to do it.

On Sunday I was in Clapham, for the 40th anniversary party of the London School of Samba, who I danced and played drums with for around 7 years. During the show, one of the dancers (and reader of this newsletter), stood on her elaborate outfit, lost balance and fell over. She landed safely and was back on her feet in no time and carried on with her performance.

This is how to fall over properly, there was a genuine reason to trip, she fell in a way not to hurt herself and was back up in seconds to finish the song. This can happen to anyone and has happened to many celebs from Lady Gaga to Beyonce and Taylor Swift. On the other end of the scale, I saw someone fall outside Battersea Power Station for no reason, land badly on her knee and down was hurt for a while. She was ok ish in the end but will be feeling the effects for a few days at least.

If you are young and sprightly then this falling issue is not that important but once you get a little older this becomes more important and in later life really is big worry and concern. Sky news ran a nice article about how being able to stand on 1 leg is linked to a decreased chance of death from any cause. At 50-55 years old 95% can stand on one leg for 10 seconds but this drops to just 50% for 70-74 year olds.

To ensure you, or anyone else you know is great with their balance and does not fall over follow the routine below. If this issue does not apply to you just yet, then send to anyone who struggles with falling or who is over 60 years old. In fact, just do these exercises with an older family member, it will be fun! I have a video along with photos down the page or you can see it on Tik Tok. For all of these exercises just do 1 or 2 sets of 10 – 15 reps for each exercise.

Hip flex Raises – To avoid tripping you need to get your foot off the ground. Shuffling feet will trip you up on the slightest of raised pavements. The hip flexor muscle lifts the leg upwards to get it higher when coming through when walking, you may remember this from my office chair strengthening routine previously.

Shin Raises – To avoid tripping you need to also ensure you lift your foot higher off the ground, toe dragging often trips people up and this can be avoided by doing this ankle / shin raise.

1 Leg Calf Raises (holding on) – The ability to use your calves is the final piece to stop you shuffling along the pavement and instead be confidently striding above any trip hazards. This can be done simply by holding on for balance and then repping some calf raises on one foot to get a real burn. You can also add weight if needed.

1 Leg Calf Raises (free standing) – Most people who fall could do with better balance and simply trying a 1 leg calf raises while not holding on will pose plenty of problems and force you to get develop your balance. Repeat the last exercise but do not hold onto anything. Be close enough to grab something in case you lose your balance.

1 Leg Balancing – An easy way to work on balance is to simply stand on one leg. If this is too easy, you can close your eyes while doing it. A good variation of this and way to insert into your daily routine is to stand on one leg while brushing your teeth.

Straight Leg Deadlfts / Good Mornings – As said previous most falls are quick from tripping over or your ankles giving way but another type of fall, which you usually see in older people, is where they trip a little and find themselves in a position that they do not have the strength or speed of reaction to rebalance themselves. This type of fall is almost in slow motion. You can prepare for this doing these simple deadlift type variations develop restoring balance when your centre of gravity has been moved out of its usual position.

Lunge Jumps – Tripping is usually a quick process and before you know it you are on the floor. This happens because your muscles have not got the speed of strength to react to trip. This can easily be trained by doing some easy forward to back jumping in place.

Rehab Prior Ankle Injuries – Some falls are from tripping while others are from your ankles giving way. When the latter is cause then you will often find a long history of repetitive injuries as most people do not ever rehab the first incident. This leaves you exposed to further injuries. The full rehab process is a little too long for this newsletter but two simple exercises you can do is strengthening the two sideways motions of the ankle with a band. You can also stretch the ankle with the same motion of the exercises.

@benwilsonuk Avoiding falls and tripping over is important for everyone but especially as we get older. This routine will make you fall proof if you follow it. Send to anyone who you know may benefit from it. #benwilsonuk #personaltrainerbattersea #personaltrainer #preventfalls #anklerehab ♬ Cena Engraçada e Inusitada de 3 Minutos - HarmonicoHCO

What Does This Mean For You?

Follow this simple set of exercises so that you never trip again, or if you do, you catch yourself quickly and carry on about your daily business. Just integrate them into your life, or get anyone you know who needs this to start doing them. This kind of exercise programme was covered in my daily routine for life video a couple of months ago.

I have not covered a couple of issues, one being that ideally you would also learn how to fall, which is basically being calm enough to just fall naturally like a kid. This means you avoid using your arm as the first point of ground contact while holding your head strong. In addition to this, it goes without saying that any extra weight above the normal range compounds the forces of any falls and increases the strength needed to prevent them in the first place.

I have had some amazing success with helping clients prevent falls over the years and you can too. This is not an ongoing problem or concern you need to suffer from.

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