For adults 65 and older
Choose a session. Press play. Follow along.
No weights, bands or exercise equipment.
You will use a sturdy household chair and a fixed counter for support.
Turn your sound on. Spoken cues, moving demonstrations and rest breaks guide you from start to finish. You can pause or skip at any time.
Have a stable chair against a wall and a fixed counter ready. If you have fallen or feel unsteady, get individual advice. If you need help standing or walking, do not practice standing alone. Read the safety setup.
The repeat session keeps the same basic difficulty. It does not get harder automatically.
Keep your screen on a steady surface. Follow only while you feel comfortable. Pause for more time between positions.
Sit and rest. You can come back to the same basic session next time.
When you are ready for a little moreStart here
Use a firm chair that cannot slide, placed against a wall. No wheels. Clear rugs, cords and pets from your practice space. Wear supportive, non-slip shoes.
Set your screen where you can read it. Do not hold a phone while exercising.
If you have fallen, feel unsteady, or worry about falling, ask a clinician or physical therapist to help you choose exercises. Get tailored advice after a recent injury or surgery, or if a health condition affects your balance.
If you need another person to stand or walk, do not try these standing exercises alone.
A gentle warm-up example: while seated, lift and lower one foot, then the other, for about 30 seconds. Start slowly. NHS warm-up guidance
Read each movement before trying it. Rest whenever you need. You can skip any exercise.
Exercise 1 of 4 / Leg strength
Try up to 5 slow repetitions.
If needed, use the arms of a stable chair to help. This is an easier adaptation. If you cannot stand safely, skip this and ask a physical therapist for an adapted version.
Rest before moving on. Smaller movements and fewer repetitions are fine.
Technique and 5 repetitions: NHS strength guide. Arm support adaptation: NHS physiotherapy guide; the general NHS strength guide uses an armless chair. Functional exercise: World Falls Guidelines (PubMed).
These pictures are original simplified diagrams. This supported introduction has not itself been tested for preventing falls.
Exercise 2 of 4 / Ankle strength
Try up to 5 slow repetitions.
Make the lift smaller, or do fewer repetitions. Keep both hands on your support.
Rest before moving on. Smaller movements and fewer repetitions are fine.
Technique and 5 repetitions: NHS strength guide. Strength plus balance programs: Cochrane review (PubMed).
These pictures are original simplified diagrams. This supported introduction has not itself been tested for preventing falls.
Exercise 3 of 4 / Moving balance
Start with up to 5 steps each way.
Take fewer or smaller steps. Stop if you cannot move safely while keeping support.
Rest before moving on. Smaller movements and fewer repetitions are fine.
Movement: NHS balance guide. Counter support: NHS physiotherapy guide. Five steps is our shorter starting option, not a trial-tested dose. Stepping: World Falls Guidelines (PubMed).
These pictures are original simplified diagrams. This supported introduction has not itself been tested for preventing falls.
Exercise 4 of 4 / Standing balance
Try a 5-second hold. Up to 3 times per side.
Keep both feet down if lifting feels unsteady. Skip the hold and ask for help choosing a safer balance exercise.
Rest before moving on. Smaller movements and fewer repetitions are fine.
Hold and repetitions: NHS balance guide. Both-hand support: NHS physiotherapy guide. Balance training: Cochrane review (PubMed).
These pictures are original simplified diagrams. This supported introduction has not itself been tested for preventing falls.
Finish
Sit down and rest. You do not have to complete every exercise.
Fall-prevention guidelines recommend individually chosen balance and functional exercise at least 3 times a week, progressed over at least 12 weeks and continued afterward. A physical therapist can help you build toward that safely. Read the guideline
This short introduction is not a full program or a proven dose. As it gets easier, ask for a more challenging plan. Do not remove hand support or close your eyes to make these exercises harder on your own.
Review the steps againStay with the basics until the movements feel controlled and comfortable over several sessions, without pain or feeling unsteady. This is a practical readiness suggestion, not a validated test. Ask a physical therapist if you are unsure.
Keep your support. Change only one thing at a time. On another day, choose one small change:
Return to the easier amount if you lose control or feel unsteady. Stop for pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness. Do not add weights, close your eyes, or remove hand support to make this routine harder on your own.
These small increments and readiness suggestions are our conservative adaptation, not a tested progression protocol. NHS guidance supports gradual increases; its examples include 10 repetitions or steps and 5-to-10-second holds. The World Falls Guidelines call for individually tailored progression. NHS strength / NHS balance / NHS physiotherapy.
Research supports balance and strength programs for older adults living in the community. The benefit comes from regular, appropriately challenging practice. Reading a page or completing one session is not a guarantee against falling.
Evidence checked September 21, 2026. Research on whole programs is separate from the movement instructions. This is a selected evidence review, not a systematic search of every study. The individual trials below enrolled adults aged 70 and older; the wider reviews and guidance inform our 65-and-older audience.
Sherrington and colleagues' 2019 Cochrane review found high-certainty evidence for balance and functional exercise in community-dwelling older adults. The result applies to programs, not to each exercise in isolation.
Exercise for preventing falls in older people living in the community. PMID 30703272.
The 2024 USPSTF evidence review included 37 exercise trials. Exercise interventions reduced falls overall. Programs varied, and harms reporting was limited. This review does not validate our four-exercise sequence.
Montero-Odasso and colleagues' 2022 World Falls Guidelines recommend tailored balance and functional training. They also recommend assessment for older adults reporting falls or balance problems. High-risk adults need a broader, individualized prevention plan.
World guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults. PMID 36178003. Read the full guideline.
Clemson and colleagues' LiFE randomized trial (2012) studied high-risk adults aged 70 and older. Balance and strength activities built into daily life reduced the fall rate compared with gentle control exercises. Participants received home teaching, follow-up and personalized progression. Our short guide is not the LiFE program.
The Safe Step randomized trial (2025) tested a self-managed exercise app in adults aged 70 and older with falls or declining balance. Its primary outcome, the rate of falls, was not significantly reduced. Fewer participants had at least one fall, a separate outcome. This cautions against promising results from a self-guided page.
The NHS guides below provide practical technique. They are clinical guidance, not research trials. We use support throughout, fewer side steps and the shorter hold option. These are beginner adaptations, not a reproduction of a tested program.
Review status: source-linked educational guide. Not clinically validated or reviewed by a treating physical therapist. If you are unsure a movement is right for you, get individual advice.
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