10 exercises to improve your balance, prevent falls, and stave off injury

• Some of the best exercises to improve your balance are heel lifts, tree pose, and bird dog.
• Maintaining and improving your balance is essential for preventing falls and injuries.
• Balance exercise is particularly beneficial for seniors and athletes.

Balance is essential not only for everyday activities like walking up the stairs or picking up groceries, but also for preventing injury and improving coordination - especially as we age and become more prone to falls.

A good goal to aim for when improving your balance is to be able to stand on one foot for 10 seconds, says Tony Maloney, an ACSM-certified exercise physiologist and coach with Orangetheory Fitness.

Important: If you are prone to dizziness, are pregnant, or have a medical condition that affects your balance, consult your doctor before beginning a balance exercise routine.

Here are 10 exercises recommended by Adia Callahan, a personal trainer, wellness coach, and founder of See Me Wellness. Do one rep of each exercise three times a day, ideally in this order, to see improvement.

Note: You may want a wall or sturdy piece of furniture nearby to steady yourself, Callahan says. Remember to breathe, maintain good posture, and use slow, controlled movements.

1. Heel lifts

How to do it:

1. Start in a standing position, with your hands on your hips.
2. Raise up onto your tiptoes.
3. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
4. Lower back down.

2. Single knee lift

How to do it:

1. With your hands on your hips lift one knee up toward your chest.
2. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
3. Lower back down.
4. Repeat on the other side.

3. Single knee lift with rotation

How to do it:

1. Lift one knee up toward your chest.
2. Rotate your upper body to the side, toward your lifted knee, while keeping your lower body still.
3. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
4. Repeat on the other side.

4. Single leg squat

How to do it:

1. Start in a single knee lift position, with your knee lifted and your hands on your hips.
2. Shift your hips back.
3. Bend your standing knee while you straighten out your lifted leg.
4. Squat down.
5. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
6. Repeat on the other side.

Quick tip: To make this exercise easier, you can keep your front heel down or lift it just about an inch off the ground. Also, to avoid hurting your knee, don't squat so far down that your knee extends forward past your toes.

5. Tightrope

How to do it:

1. Stand with your arms out to your sides.
2. Walk heel to toe, so that your toes on your back foot touch the heel of the front foot.
3. Walk for 5 to 10 steps.

6. Tree pose

How to do it:

1. Start in a standing position with your hands on your hips.

2. Lift one leg and bend the knee to the side.

3. Place that foot against the inside shin of your straight leg.

4. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.

5. Repeat on the other side.

Quick tip: If this is difficult, keep the ball of your foot on the ground rather than on your leg. For a challenge, raise your arms into a V above your head.

7. Bird dog

How to do it:

1. Start in a tabletop position on your hands and knees.
2. Lift one leg straight behind you.
3. Lift the opposite arm straight out in front of you.
4. Hold for 5 to10 seconds.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Quick tip: To make this exercise less challenging, bend your lifted knee and elbow.

8. Standing bird dog

How to do it:

1. Start in a standing position.
2. Extend one leg back and the opposite arm up and forward, with all limbs straight.
3. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
4. Repeat on the other side.

Quick tip: If this is difficult, you can keep your back toe on the ground, or lift your back toe and tap it down. For more of a balance challenge, tilt your torso closer to the floor and reach your back leg farther up.

9. Sidearm/leg reach

How to do it:

1. Reach your arms straight above your head.
2. Lift one leg straight out to the side.
3. Reach your arms toward the opposite side.
4. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Quick tip: Reaching farther down to the side with your arms and farther up with your lifted leg makes this exercise more challenging.

10. Single knee lift with eyes closed

How to do it:

1. Start in a standing position with your eyes closed.
2. Pull one knee up toward your chest.
3. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
4. Repeat on the other side.

For an added challenge, you can do all these exercises with your eyes closed or hold them longer, which challenges your balance further. You can also try moving from one leg-balancing exercise to another without putting your foot down, Callahan says.

Insider's takeaway

Balance exercises are a key part of a healthy exercise routine, especially as we age and become more prone to injury. If three times a day seems like too much, try to fit these exercises in once a day.

"It is so important, if you're 8 or 80 years old, that you're working on some type of balance or improving your coordination because it's going to help you continue to move better as you go throughout your years," Maloney says.