This Walking Habit Might Be One Of The Easiest Ways To Improve Your Balance

Walking on grass and sand helps you connect with nature, but it also has one unexpected benefit you might not know about.

Turns out, walking on uneven surfaces will activate your body’s alert system known as proprioception, an overlooked but critical sense that subconsciously tells you where your limbs and body are at all times.

If a surface is suddenly slanted, proprioception tells your body that “the position of your joint is different and so it would activate muscles in a different way so that you don’t fall over to the right,” said Claire Morrow, a physical therapist with Hinge Health.

When proprioception is working well, it’s automatic. Your feet will know where to land on the slope of a hill to keep your ankles stable without you looking.

But proprioception declines as you get older or after an injury, which is why you don’t want to ignore training this internal awareness system. You might just lose it if you stop using it.

For example, if you sprain your ankle, you can lose ligament stability and the proprioception “feedback loop” that prevents you from re-rolling your ankle and injuring yourself again, Morrow said. The good news is that with a few simple adjustments, you can hone this sense and train it to get better.

Training this sense doesn’t have to be intimidating

You don’t need to hike up a mountain to train your proprioception. Simply look for uneven surfaces that nature provides with grass, dirt or sand to give your body small challenges on your walk.

If you're used to only waking on sidewalks, try walking on grass to test your body's proprioception.

recep-bg via Getty Images

If you’re used to only waking on sidewalks, try walking on grass to test your body’s proprioception.

Walking on beach sand or soft grass in a park instead of predictably flat pavement can “give your body a challenge to react to something that was a little unexpected,” Morrow said, which is what’s needed to train your lower body’s proprioception.

She suggests starting on pressed dirt and then graduating to grass and sand. “If you don’t mind getting your feet dirty, then doing it barefoot is sometimes a fun way” to practice proprioception too, Morrow added.

If you’re nervous about your balance, you can use hiking poles on unstable surfaces to have the benefit of your foot testing different positions while still having support, Morrow said.

Since proprioception can decline with age, older adults at risk of falling should focus on honing this ability. One 2017 study of adults over 70 found that the loss of reliable proprioception was a key factor in why those adults were more likely to sway on their feet while standing.

Proprioception “can improve your balance, and with increased balance, you decrease the fall potential, especially in elderly people,” said Patrick Maloney, the lead athletic trainer at Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine in New Orleans.

“The danger of that impaired proprioception is you get into a position where you need to catch yourself, but you don’t have the quickness to catch yourself,” Morrow said.

Here is a quick proprioception test for yourself: Can you balance on one leg for 10 seconds? If you can’t, Morrow suggests working with a physical therapist who can give you exercises to improve this skill.

She also suggests consulting with a therapist if your walking pace has significantly declined or if you need to touch a wall or a railing while walking to stay balanced.

So the next time you go for a walk, try walking next to the sidewalk on some soft grass or dirt. It will give you a break from your usual routine and will also help train your body’s awareness to protect your health in the future.

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A Doctor Explains What It Can Mean If You Get Dizzy Standing Up

Though you might think something as ordinary as feeling winded after taking the stairs is normal, Dr Katherine Pohlgeers previously told HuffPost that if your breathing “stay[s] elevated past three minutes or a prolonged period of time, that’s when it becomes more concerning”.

But what about feeling dizzy when you stand up?

We asked Dr Donald Grant, a GP and senior clinical advisor at The Independent Pharmacy, what it could mean and when to see a doctor.

It could be normal, or it may be orthostatic hypotension

“Feeling dizzy when you stand up can be normal, and it usually occurs due to blood pressure changes, which means the brain gets less blood flow for a brief moment,” Dr Grant explained.

“This is particularly common after standing or sitting for extended periods, but outside of that, several potential causes shouldn’t be ignored.”

One of the most “common” of these, he added, is “postural hypotension” (also known as orthostatic hypotension), or a sudden lowering of blood pressure that happens when you go from sitting to standing.

“Other common signs of this include blurred vision, general weakness, confusion and nausea,” he explained.

The NHS said it’s important to see a doctor if you get repeated signs of low blood pressure, like dizziness and fainting.

Any other causes?

“Dizziness may also be caused by dehydration, so it’s important to drink enough fluids each day, especially as we approach the warmer months,” Dr Grant continued.

“While it can vary depending on age, health conditions and the weather, people should generally aim to drink six to eight cups of fluid each day.”

Additionally, some medications and pre-existing health conditions, like anaemia, diabetes, and heart problems, can make you feel dizzy when you stand up too.

When should I see a doctor about this?

“If dizziness occurs regularly or suddenly worsens, seek urgent medical attention. A qualified health professional can provide more tailored advice on potential causes and treatment,” shared Dr Grant.

In general, the NHS suggests you should see a doctor if your dizziness or vertigo keeps coming back or lasts a long time, or if hearing or speaking becomes difficult.

You should also visit your doctor if you experience tinnitus (ringing in the ears); double or blurred vision; numbness or weakness in the face, arms or legs; changes in pulse; fainting; headaches or nausea, according to the health service.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene Offers ‘Dangerous’ Theory On How Trump Will Stay In Power

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Thursday she is “concerned” that President Donald Trump could use war in Iran or elsewhere to stay in power after his second term. (Watch the video below.)

Greene referred to an exchange between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy last summer. The Ukrainian president told Trump that elections were suspended while his country was at war against Russia. That aroused Trump’s interest.

Host Alex Jones cued up the clip.

“So you say, during the war, you can’t have elections,” Trump said. “So let me just see. Three and a half years from now, so you mean if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections? Oh, that’s good.”

Jones went off on a tangent about Trump’s musing this week about running for prime minister of Israel, but Greene kept to her point.

“So that type of behaviour is someone planting an idea over and over and over again,” Greene said. “He constantly says it so that he can normalise the idea and test the support and test people’s reactions. But saying it over and over and over again normaliaes the idea. And I think it’s incredibly dangerous, and no one should ever accept it. Absolutely, absolutely not. There cannot be a third term, no. That’s against our laws. That’s against the Constitution. There is no third term. And if this country is at war, no, our election should not be canceled, absolutely not.”

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⚠️MTG Is Concerned About Trump Canceling Elections & Declaring Dictatorship During Wartime!

\"There Cannot Be A 3rd Term, That’s Against The Constitution, And If This Country Is At War, Our Elections Should Not Be Canceled!\"

⬇️WATCH ALEX JONES LIVE⬇️https://t.co/ddnrZ8H0kv pic.twitter.com/eqhrw9udIv

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) May 21, 2026

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⚠️MTG Is Concerned About Trump Canceling Elections & Declaring Dictatorship During Wartime!

“There Cannot Be A 3rd Term, That’s Against The Constitution, And If This Country Is At War, Our Elections Should Not Be Canceled!”

⬇️WATCH ALEX JONES LIVE⬇️https://t.co/ddnrZ8H0kv pic.twitter.com/eqhrw9udIv

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) May 21, 2026

Trump’s contemplations of an illegal third term are old hat. But a somewhat novel theory emerged this week of how he might try to pull off staying in the White House by literally staying at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

MS NOW host Chris Hayes joked that he was starting to believe speculation that Trump would barricade himself in the bunker purportedly being built under his ballroom project.

Greene and Jones, former Trump disciples who swore him off, both love a conspiracy theory. So there’s some entertainment value in listening to the two extreme figures chat.

Jones’ Infowars has been shut down, but he’s now broadcasting “The Alex Jones Show” on the so-called Alex Jones Network.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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