Steady on Your Feet 60+
Balance at the chair, leg strength and a daily walk for people over 60.
For people over 60 who want to stay steady on their feet. On weekdays you alternate balance and strength at a chair with a walk, plus protein with your meals and a phone call twice a week.
A day in the program
Tasks, in order.
Times assume waking at 7:00 and going to sleep at 23:00. In the app, they shift to fit you.
Late morning
- 9:00Practice balance at a chair10 min · Movement · Mon, Wed, Fri
When you finish breakfast, stand behind a sturdy chair and hold the backrest: stand on one leg for 10 to 30 seconds, then on the other. Then walk heel to toe along the kitchen counter so you can grab it at any time.
Why balance. WHO recommends balance and strength training on at least 3 days a week for people over 65 (WHO 2020).
Caution. If you have chest pain, unusual shortness of breath, dizziness or new falls, stop and talk to a doctor. After a fall with injury, after a fracture or if you have osteoporosis, go over the exercises with a doctor or physical therapist.
- 9:30Strengthen your legs at a chair15 min · Movement · Tue, Thu
When it is Tuesday or Thursday, set a chair without armrests against the wall, sit down and stand up, without using your hands if you can, 5 to 10 times. Then do 10 calf raises with a hand on the backrest. Repeat two or three times.
A little is enough. 30 to 60 minutes of strength training a week was linked to 10 to 20% lower mortality (Momma et al. 2022).
- 10:30Walk for 20 minutes20 min · Movement · Weekdays
When you head out for groceries or to the post office, walk for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Aim for about 6,000 to 7,000 steps a day; weekends are for rest or a relaxed walk.
How many steps after 60. After 60, the benefit of steps levels off at roughly 6,000 to 8,000 a day (Paluch et al. 2022).
Midday
- 12:00Add protein to your meal1 portion · Food · Every day
When you have lunch, add protein: eggs, quark, yogurt, fish, meat or legumes. Try the same at breakfast and dinner.
More protein after 60. For healthy people over 65, experts suggest 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kilogram a day. If you have kidney disease, talk to your doctor (PROT-AGE 2013).
Afternoon
- 16:00Call someone close10 min · Mind · Tue, Sat
When it is Tuesday or Saturday, call or visit someone from your family, a friend or a neighbor.
Relationships. Strong social relationships are linked to roughly a 50% higher likelihood of survival (Holt-Lunstad et al. 2010).
General suggestions for everyday wellbeing, not medical advice. Adjust the tasks to suit you. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication regularly, talk to your doctor before making changes.
What our programs build onSources
What the program builds on.
Balance and strength on at least 3 days a week follow the WHO recommendations for people over 65.
Protein with every meal matches the proposed 1.0 to 1.2 g per kilogram a day for healthy people over 65.
Short strength work at a chair is enough, because as little as 30 to 60 minutes a week was linked to lower mortality (an association, not proof of cause).
The walks aim for 6,000 to 8,000 steps, where the benefit levels off after 60.
A call to someone close is part of the program because strong relationships are linked to a longer life (an association, not proof of cause).
The exercises are tied to a chair and everyday moments, because a habit holds on to the same cue.