This Simple Knee Exercise Can Protect Your Overall Health After Turning 50

Falls are the leading cause of injury among adults over 65, with one in four experiencing a fall each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While younger individuals may only suffer minor bruises, falls in older adults can lead to severe or even life-threatening injuries. Many people in their 50s prepare for these falls, believing that they are a decade or two away, but there is a new strength and balance program that can help them prevent these falls later in life.

Best Exercise To Prevent Falls Is Weighted Knee Exercise

One exercise that's particularly good for preventing falls is a weighted high knee exercise. This exercise is cardio-intensive, raising the heart rate and enhancing cardiovascular endurance, which strengthens the heart and improves circulation. It also builds strength and improves balance, as standing on one leg engages the core and the small muscles of the feet to maintain steadiness. Adding weights increases the intensity, making it especially effective for building or maintaining muscle mass as well as increasing bone mineral density.

You begin to lose muscle mass starting at age 30, and this muscle loss accelerates as you get older. This might make it more difficult to walk and perform daily tasks. As per health experts, maintaining muscle mass as you age can reduce your risk of falls and early death. Notably, if you are someone who hasn't exercised throughout your life, starting an exercise program can improve your longevity. Just going from 0 to 3 hours of exercise each week could lower your all-cause mortality by upwards of 50%.

However, exercising in your later years requires a long-term commitment. A 2018 meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine, which pooled data from 40 studies involving more than 21,000 people, found that exercising for at least a year can lower the risk of falls by 12%. More importantly, it can reduce the risk of injury from falls by 26%.

Strength training provides additional benefits. Since muscle is more metabolically active tissue, adding muscle mass can reduce the risk for metabolic conditions and promote healthy weight management.

How To Perform Weighted High Knee Exercise To begin, practice this exercise without weights until you feel comfortable balancing on one foot. Start by standing with your feet about hip-width apart, feeling the grounding of both feet on the floor. Slowly shift your weight to your left foot, using the muscles in your left leg to steady yourself as you bend your right knee. If balancing feels unsteady, place one hand on a countertop or wall for support.

Draw your right thigh up until it’s parallel to the floor, pressing your left foot into the ground to engage the muscles in your left leg and hip. Use your right hand to press lightly against your right thigh for resistance, activating your core for stability. Hold for a few seconds, then switch legs. Aim for 12 repetitions per leg.

To increase the intensity, incorporate weights into your routine. Hold two dumbbells at your sides, a single dumbbell close to your chest, or raise dumbbells overhead as you march with high knees. You can also use household items like a water bottle or a heavy book.