Terms and safety notice

Please read this before you use any of the exercises on this site.

This is not medical advice

Everything here is general fitness information. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not a treatment for any condition. We are not your doctor, your physiotherapist or your trainer, and nothing on this site creates that kind of relationship.

Talk to your doctor before you start — particularly if you are new to exercise, have fallen in the last year, feel unsteady on your feet, are pregnant, or have any heart, lung, joint, balance, blood pressure or neurological condition, or take medication that affects your balance or blood pressure.

You take part at your own risk

Exercise carries a risk of injury. That is true of any exercise programme, including this one, and it is true however carefully it is written. Balance work in particular involves deliberately making yourself less stable, and there is a real risk of falling.

By using this site you accept that risk. You are responsible for deciding whether an exercise is safe for you on any given day, for setting up somewhere safe to do it, and for stopping when something does not feel right.

No liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, The Healthy Grandparent and anyone involved in producing this site accept no liability for any injury, loss, damage or expense — direct or indirect — arising from your use of this site, the exercises described on it, or any decision you make based on it.

We do not promise that the information here is complete, accurate or suitable for you specifically. It is written for a general audience, and you are not a general audience — you are a particular person with a particular body and history.

Stop immediately if you feel

• Chest pain or tightness
• Dizziness or feeling faint
• Shortness of breath that does not settle when you stop
• Muscle or joint pain that does not ease off

If any of these do not pass quickly when you stop, seek medical help. If you think you may be having a heart attack or a stroke, call emergency services — in the United States, 911.

Soreness the day after is normal and expected. Pain during a movement is not.

Set yourself up safely

• Have something solid within arm's reach — a counter, a sturdy chair, a wall.
• Wear shoes with grip. Not socks, not loose slippers.
• Clear the floor. Rugs, cords and pets are what people trip over.
• If you live alone and are working on the harder balance exercises, have someone with you, or tell someone you are doing them.

Where the exercises come from

The structure of the balance and strength work follows the Otago Exercise Programme, developed at the University of Otago. The gym sessions follow the National Strength and Conditioning Association's published guidance for older adults. All instructions on this site are our own writing.

Following a programme with good evidence behind it lowers your risk. It does not remove it.

What we store

If you sign in, we store your email address, your level, and the dates you finished a workout. Nothing else. We do not track you, we do not advertise, and we do not share any of it. You can use the whole site without an account.

Changes

We may update this notice. The version on this page is the one that applies.

Last updated 25 September 2026.