Walking After 60: Add Strength and Balance for Everyday Life

A daily walk can become one of the most dependable parts of your day: a familiar route, a chance to get outside, and time to yourself or with a friend. If you already have that habit, it is worth keeping. The next question is what else belongs alongside it.

Think about the movements that matter at home. You stand from a dining chair, turn in the kitchen, carry a laundry basket, and step through a doorway. An exercise plan can make room for those goals, too. For older adults, that means considering strength and balance as well as walking.

With Falls Prevention Awareness Week held September 21–25, 2026, early October is a useful time to turn that conversation into a practical plan. Start by looking at your whole week and the activities you want to keep doing.

Keep walking, and look at the whole activity picture

For adults 65 and older, the CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, or an equivalent amount of more vigorous activity. It also recommends muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days and activities that improve balance. Strength work should involve the major muscle groups throughout the body.

Those recommendations describe a weekly goal. Your starting point should reflect your abilities and health conditions. If you cannot meet the full recommendations, the CDC advises being as active as your situation allows.

Walking can contribute to the aerobic part of that plan. A step total, however, does not tell you whether you have also practiced balance or challenged your upper-body muscles. Looking beyond the number on a watch helps you ask more useful questions: Which kinds of movement have I included? What still needs attention?

The National Institute on Aging explains that strength activities can help with everyday tasks such as rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and carrying groceries. Balance activities address steadiness. These different forms of activity can complement one another.

Check your starting point before adding a challenge

Tell your health care professional if you have fallen, feel unsteady when standing or walking, or worry about falling. These are concerns the CDC specifically encourages older adults to discuss. You do not have to wait for an injury to bring them up.

Be specific about what you notice. Perhaps getting out of your usual chair has become difficult, or turning around feels less secure. Describe when it happens, whether it is new, and whether pain or dizziness is involved. Avoid deliberately repeating a movement that feels unsafe just to demonstrate the problem.

If a health condition affects your activity, work with your clinician on a plan that fits your abilities. The CDC also advises restarting at a lower level after a break for illness or travel, then gradually building back toward your usual routine.

Begin with controlled, familiar strength movements

The exercises below are examples to discuss with your physical therapist or health care professional. They are a starting point for learning, rather than a complete strength program or a personalized prescription. If you need another person's assistance to stand safely, get individual guidance before trying standing exercises.

Chair rises

The CDC's chair-rise exercise targets the thighs and buttocks. Choose a sturdy chair without wheels that will not slide or tip, and sit toward the front with your feet flat on the floor, about shoulder-width apart. Lean forward slightly and stand slowly, using your hands for assistance as needed. Pause, then lower yourself back to the seat with control.

Keep breathing throughout the movement. The CDC handout works toward 10–15 repetitions but explicitly allows fewer at first. Your own starting amount may be smaller. Ask for an adjustment if you cannot rise or lower safely, or if the movement hurts. There is no need to race or prove you can do it without your hands.

Wall push-ups

For upper-body work, a wall push-up keeps you off the floor. Face a clear, solid wall and place your palms against it near shoulder height. With your feet planted, bend your elbows to move toward the wall, then press back slowly. Keep your body aligned and avoid locking your elbows.

Supported heel raises

Stand at a fixed, stable counter with your feet about shoulder-width apart and use the counter for support. Slowly lift your heels, rising onto the balls of your feet, then lower with control. Stay on level ground. Stop if you cannot keep the movement steady.

Both wall push-ups and heel raises appear in the CDC and Tufts University strength-training guide. A clinician can help you choose an appropriate amount and adapt the exercises to your needs.

Give balance its own place in the plan

Balance practice deserves a safe setup and your attention. The National Institute on Aging recommends moving slowly, keeping sturdy support nearby, and seeking guidance when you are unsure about a movement. If you feel unsteady, steady yourself.

One option a physical therapist may recommend is supported sidestepping. Face a counter, keep your hands on it as needed, and take controlled steps sideways with your toes facing forward. Move back in the other direction while staying within reach of support. This exercise is included in the American Physical Therapy Association's home balance guidance.

Keep any support you need. Avoid adding closed eyes, unstable surfaces, or multitasking on your own to make an exercise harder. Ask your therapist how to progress safely. An impressive-looking challenge from a video may be a poor match for your current abilities.

Make the week easier to organize

Start with a calendar you actually use. Write down your usual walking times. Then choose two nonconsecutive days to discuss for strength training; the National Institutes of Health advises allowing the same muscles time to recover between strength sessions. Add balance practice at the frequency your clinician recommends.

For example, Tuesday and Friday could be your strength days, with walking on other days or at another comfortable time. The purpose of this example is scheduling. It does not specify the exercise dose that is right for you.

Write down where you will practice, too. “Strength exercises by the dining chair” is easier to picture than “exercise more.” Keep the instructions somewhere you can read them, and prepare the space before you begin. Choose a time when you can concentrate and do not feel rushed.

Notice everyday function alongside your step count

A simple weekly note can help you explain your experience at an appointment. You might record:

• Which planned sessions you completed.
• Whether your usual chair felt easier or harder to get out of.
• Any discomfort or uncertainty during ordinary turns or stairs.
• Questions about an exercise, including where you needed support.

These are personal observations to discuss, not a diagnostic score. Do not time yourself on stairs, remove a walking aid, or attempt a difficult balance test to measure progress. Keep using the assistance you have been advised to use.

Choose a goal that matters to you and bring it to your therapist. It might be getting up from the chair where you eat breakfast or feeling more comfortable moving around the kitchen. That gives the conversation a clear focus beyond accumulating more repetitions.

Exercise is one part of staying safer

A well-planned routine belongs alongside attention to other fall risks. The CDC recommends reviewing medicines with a doctor or pharmacist, checking vision and foot health, improving lighting, and clearing trip hazards. Some medicines can cause dizziness or sleepiness. Do not stop or change them on your own.

Pay attention during activity, too. The NIH advises stopping and seeking help right away for warning signs such as chest discomfort, extreme shortness of breath, or dizziness. Call 911 for new chest pain or pressure, severe breathing difficulty, or suspected heart-attack symptoms. If exercise causes joint or limb pain, stop the painful activity and ask a health care professional how to adjust it.

How at-home physical therapy can help

When you are unsure how to begin, a physical therapist can assess your movement and help select exercises suited to your needs. The American Physical Therapy Association describes individualized exercise, home-safety guidance, and coordination with other health professionals as parts of fall-related physical therapy care.

An at-home visit also offers a practical opportunity to discuss the spaces you use every day: your usual chair, the path through the living room, or the step at your entrance. Ask which movements to practice, how much support to use, and what would signal that the plan needs adjusting.

Evidence supports structured programs, with important limits. In a randomized clinical trial published in JAMA, a physical therapist–delivered home strength-and-balance program reduced the rate of subsequent falls among adults aged 70 and older receiving care after a fall. The study followed a specific higher-risk group over a year; it does not establish that the short exercise examples above will prevent falls for every reader.

Separately, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends exercise interventions to help prevent falls in community-dwelling adults 65 and older who are at increased risk. The programs it reviewed commonly included balance, walking skills, functional training, and strength work. Your clinician can help determine whether you need that kind of fall-prevention program and how to access one.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force also recommends home-based exercise interventions for improving fitness measures in adults 65 and older. Its report was updated in July 2026 with supporting appendices; the underlying recommendation was made in 2022. These programs include instruction and periodic support.

Choose a manageable next step

Keep the walking you enjoy when it remains safe and comfortable. Look at your weekly routine, choose a meaningful everyday goal, and ask what strength and balance work would suit you. A useful plan should be clear enough to follow and flexible enough to change with your needs.

Contact Be On The Move to ask about an at-home physical therapy evaluation and discuss a movement plan built around your health, your home, and the activities that matter to you.