Today's Topic 👉 Balance

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On January 1, 2026, Medicare started paying doctors to assess your physical activity. ⁽¹⁾

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) president called it “historical.” ⁽²⁾

Why? Because one category of exercise has such strong evidence for preventing a specific cause of death that the medical system decided to treat movement as a vital sign.

That category is neuromotor exercise: balance, coordination, and agility training. ⁽³⁾

Not cardio. Not strength. Balance.

108 trials. 23,407 people. Programs that specifically challenge balance cut fall risk by up to 39%. ⁽⁴⁾

Walking alone? No significant effect. ⁽⁴⁾

Fall death rates for adults 65+ hit 69.9 per 100,000 in 2023, climbing for 20 years straight. ⁽⁵⁾

Yet most fitness routines skip balance entirely.

AT A GLANCE

• Add balance training. ACSM recommends balance training 2–3 days/week, 20–30 minutes — distinct from strength or cardio. ⁽³⁾

• Not just for seniors. Balance peaks in your 20s–30s and declines from 40 onward. (3)

^{*links to sources at the bottom of the email}

FEATURED RESOURCE

Sherrington et al. (2019): Exercise for Preventing Falls in Older Adults

It’s the largest review on exercise and fall prevention ever conducted.

Want the full breakdown? In this week’s Smarter Wellness Weekly, I cover which training types actually prevent falls (and which don’t), the new Medicare milestone, and a “Neuromotor Fundamentals” plan you can start this week.

SOURCES

1. CMS, 2025 — Medicare physical activity assessment coverage (HCPCS G0136)

2. ACSM, 2025 — “Medicare Greenlights Coverage for Physical Activity Assessments”

3. Garber et al., 2011 — ACSM exercise guidelines (MSSE)

4. Sherrington et al., 2019 — Exercise and falls, 108 trials (Cochrane)

5. Garnett et al., 2025 — Fall death rates, adults 65+ (NCHS Data Brief No. 532)

6. Lesinski et al., 2015 — Balance training dose-response (Sports Medicine)

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Brian S. Dye, Ed.D., is the founder of Applied Wellness, an evidence-based wellness education platform that helps people access, understand, and apply credible wellness information.

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