Tai chi
Slow-motion strength, balance, and attention in one practice. One of the best-evidenced fall-prevention exercises in older adults.
Why
Tai chi trains balance, leg strength, and weight-shift control through continuous slow movement — which is precisely the cluster that prevents falls. The Cochrane exercise-for-fall-prevention review (which includes tai chi trials) found exercise reduces the rate of falls in community-dwelling older adults by around a quarter, with tai chi among the effective formats. The meditative pacing carries a stress benefit land squats never will.
Slot in your day
How to do it
How
Learn from an instructor — Yang-style short forms (8–24 movements) are the standard entry. 2–3 sessions weekly, 30–60 minutes; home practice between classes.
Ideal for
Adults 60+ or anyone with shaky single-leg balance; people who want movement and a calm block in the same half hour.
Sticking with it
Group classes carry this habit — the social hook is half the adherence.
Evidence
Cochrane 2019, 108 trials (n=23,407) — exercise programmes reduced the rate of falls in older adults by ~23%, high-certainty evidence; balance-and-function training including tai chi is among the effective formats. Tradition: classical Chinese yang sheng practice — the evidence above stands without that.