Most people wait until the new year to set goals for health and fitness. But what if, instead of waiting until January 1st… you started today? 

Not to stress you out, but there are exactly 6 weeks until it will be full-blown holiday season. 6 weeks until we host or travel to family gatherings, the feasts of the season begin, and it’s prime shopping season. With over 10 years of practice as a physical therapist, I can easily predict that once November hits, many patients will come to PT with goals of improving their strength and balance so they feel more confident going into the holidays.

Instead of waiting until November, what if you started now? There are 6 weeks left until the holiday season really begins, and coincidentally, it takes 6 weeks for our muscles to build strength. Sounds like great timing to me!

Whether you are the host or you will be traveling to celebrate this year, you want to head into the season feeling strong, confident, and ready to take it all on. You don’t want to be feeling shaky as you walk up the stairs into your daughter’s home. You don’t want to worry if you’ll be steady enough to walk across the parking lot in the ice/snow/rain/wintry mix to get into the store. 

You probably already know what I’m going to say: yes, exercise is the best way to ensure you are (physically) ready to take on the holidays- and the winter season in general- feeling steady and strong. Now is the perfect time of year to begin a consistent routine that includes strength and balance, before the ice, snow, and dreaded wintry mix start to hit. 

I know this is a busy time of year, so I won’t give a laundry list of exercises. Instead, I’ll pare it down to just 4 exercises that, if started now, will be the most effective in helping you feel strong and confident as you head into the most wonderful time of the year. They work by targeting both your strength as well as your balance. 

Exercise #1: Sit to stand 

This is one of my very favorite exercises of all-time- for nearly everyone. It’s so functional because we all need to be able to get up from sitting, and when done correctly, it activates all the major muscle groups in our lower body. You’ll stand up from a sturdy chair, and then lower yourself back down, without plopping. If you can do so without using your hands at all, that’s ideal because this way you’re making your legs do all the work. If you can’t, go ahead and use your hands to help only as much as needed. As you get stronger, you’ll be able to do this with less and less hand support. For more detailed sit to stand tips, read my sit-to-stand blog post HERE. 

Repeat 10-15 times in a row. Then rest for 1-2 minutes. Then repeat another 10-15 times. 

Exercise #2: Heel raises

Lower leg and ankle strength is important for walking mechanics, as well as for stability and balance. For this exercise, you’ll hold onto your sink or countertop, and raise up on your tiptoes, and then lower the heels back down, keeping your knees straight the entire time- don't let them bend! As this gets easier, you can lessen your hand support on the counter, which will challenge your balance a bit more.

Repeat 10-20 times in a row. Then rest for 1-2 minutes. Then repeat another 10-20 times. 

Exercise #3: Step ups

This one is great for- you guessed it- improving your confidence and stability on stairs and curb steps. You’ll stand at the bottom of your stairs, and hold the railing for balance support. Now, step up onto that first step, get as tall as you can, and then step back down. If you don’t have stairs at home, you can use a sturdy step stool and place it next to your kitchen sink. This way, you can hold your sink with one hand for the balance support as you step up onto the step stool. Like with the other exercises, you’ll want to use your hands only as much as you need to, so your legs get as much strength work as possible.

Repeat 10-15 times in a row on one leg. Then switch legs so you’re stepping up with the opposite leg. Then repeat another 10-15 times on each leg.  

Exercise #4: Tightrope stance 

Also called “tandem stance”: You’ll stand in front of a sink or counter, with one foot in front of the other, like you’re on a tightrope, with the heel of your front foot touching the toes of your back foot. Your goal is to balance as long as you can in this position, without having to use your hands to hold on. It’s ok if you need to use your hands quite a bit to start, and then as you become more steady, you won’t need to touch your hands down as frequently on the counter. 

Repeat for 30-60 seconds, then switch so the opposite foot is in front. 

That’s it! These 4 straightforward, quick-yet-effective, physical-therapist-approved exercises will help you to build your stability and confidence over the next 6 weeks, BEFORE the holidays even begin! If you wish, you could do these every day. Some people actually prefer to do this, because it becomes ingrained in their daily habits quickly and they feel like it’s harder to forget to do them. However, doing them seven days a week is NOT necessary to reap the benefits. If you consistently do them at least 3-4 days each week for the next six weeks, you will definitely get your results. Which brings me to…

THE SIX WEEKS TO STEADY CHALLENGE: 

To help you stick with this routine for the next 6 weeks, I’ve created The Balance Boost's “Six Weeks to Steady" Challenge. If you’d like to join, you can download your Challenge Tracking Sheet HERE. To complete the challenge, for the next 6 weeks you’ll complete at least 3 of these exercises for at least 3 days each week. You can feel free to choose the same 3 exercises throughout the challenge, or mix them up. And of course, you can do all 4 if you’d like (I’d highly recommend that, of course!) 

So, let’s get steady and ready for the most wonderful time of the year! Join by downloading your Challenge Tracking Sheet HERE, and be sure to follow The Balance Boost on Instagram and Facebook so that you can share your progress, and see how others are doing as well! 

And if you’re a visual learner, you’ll want to download and print my free cheat sheet of my Top 3 Balance-Building Exercises HERE. Having this taped to a place in your home where you’ll see it every day will also help you stick to the routine, as it will serve as a visual reminder.