To address the concerns of aging and the decline of one’s health, balance and wellbeing later in life, keeping active while young plays a pivotal role.
“When we’re young, we need to think about what it is we want to be able to do when we’re 90 or 100 or whatever. Then reverse engineer those things and make sure if you can’t do that when you’re 50, you’re going to be in trouble when you’re 90,” said Professor of Health and Wellness and physical therapist Jason Wingert.
At UNC Asheville Wingert directs what’s called a sensorimotor laboratory, where they study how the brain collects sensory information and uses it to drive motor function and movement output.
“If you think about buttoning your shirt, for example, you can do it without looking at the button. It’s because you can feel where your hands are and how they’re moving and so much of movement is really driven by sensory information,” Wingert said.
Along with studying sensory information, Wingert said they also look at a person’s proprioception, or how the brain keeps track of where the body is in space and how the body is moving.
“We were able to show in our lab that proprioception declines with age, like many other senses do, and exercise probably protects against some of that decline,” Wingert said.
According to Wingert, the age at which proprioception begins to decline is different for everyone, and related to one’s activity levels.
“The more challenging an activity is to balance, the more likely a person is to keep their balance into late years. We had college-age students all the way up to people in their 90s in our studies,” Wingert said. “We saw some balance deficits in young people who weren’t active. And then we saw some really good balance in older adults who are very active.”
With that loss of proprioception, according to Wingert, comes an increased risk of falling.
“I became interested in trying to figure out what types of exercises we could do to maintain balance across the lifespan,” Wingert said.
In his lab Wingert said they were able to show that exercise is useful for preventing proprioceptive loss, but there’s also a really strong relationship between proprioceptive loss and balance deficits.
“There’s a lot of evidence that yoga and Tai Chi are beneficial for maintaining proprioception and therefore maintaining balance,” Wingert said.
UNCA junior and yoga instructor Nora Kennedy teaches a variety of different yoga-styled classes on campus, drawing from their background in traditional Ashtanga, a dynamic, structured form of yoga that emphasizes a specific sequence of postures linked to controlled breathing (called vinyasa).
“I’ve been practicing since I was a toddler, and yoga has been a steady and transformative presence in my life ever since, offering me profound physical and mental benefits along the way,” Kennedy said.
For individuals experiencing balance challenges, Kennedy said she recommends starting with gentle yoga classes such as Hatha yoga or restorative yoga, which emphasize slow, controlled movements and deep breathing.
“These classes are great for building foundational strength and balance in a safe and supportive environment,” Kennedy said.
By establishing a consistent practice now, according to Kennedy, it’s possible to create a strong foundation that will help keep everyone active, independent and healthy in their later years.
“Yoga helps build muscle memory, which becomes incredibly valuable as we get older. It keeps our muscles, joints and connective tissue strong and flexible, which can prevent many age-related issues like stiffness, joint pain and loss of mobility. Balance exercises in particular are key for maintaining stability and reducing the risk of falls as we age,” Kennedy said.
Regarding fall prevention and balance, Kennedy said yoga, with its emphasis on balance, strength and flexibility, could be an excellent way to raise awareness and offer practical solutions on campus.
“I’ve seen a few family members struggle with balance issues and occasional falls. Yoga is a wonderful way to address these concerns, as it focuses on strengthening key muscle groups, improving flexibility and enhancing body awareness, all of which are essential for maintaining balance and preventing falls,” Kennedy said.
According to Wingert, it’s important to think about movement for the future and how to be as strong and as functional as possible.
“I think that’s an important message: ‘what can we be doing as younger people to stay strong across the lifespan?’,” Wingert said.
For information on the Standing Strong NC campaign, fall prevention and how you can support, find information or get involved, please visit: https://www.standingstrongnc.org/
For more information on the variety of fitness and instructional classes offered on UNC Asheville’s campus, please visit: https://recreation.unca.edu/programs/fitness-instruction/
