Balance in your life

We often take for granted the importance of a strong sense of balance in everyday life. Our body relies heavily on being balanced to achieve proper function and safety in the ability to do simple and complex tasks. Proper balance helps us walk, tie shoes, carry groceries, and get up from a chair. Traversing over uneven terrains or obstacles can only be achieved with a strong sense of balance. Having a strong, stable base allows you to move with more coordination and fluidity with daily tasks and athletic skills.

Strong muscles needed

The body’s ability to handle and maintain a sense of balance relies on many conditions. Having strong muscles helps your body’s motor function and complete manual tasks. Being able to keep yourself steady makes all the difference in daily activities and personal safety. The older we get, the more challenging simple balance can become.

Balance training

Balance training involves doing exercises that strengthen the muscles that help keep you upright, including your legs and core. You need strong core muscles for good balance and to prevent falls. Most core exercises focus on abs and other core muscles. Doing balance exercises can be intense, such as yoga poses, or simple as standing on one leg for a few seconds. Try these exercises to build strength and improve muscles to keep you stabilized.

Exercise ideas for balance

• Standing with your weight on one leg and raising the other leg to the side or behind you
• Putting your heel right in front of your toe, like walking a tightrope
• Standing up and sitting down from a chair without using your hands
• Walking while alternating knee lifts with each step
• Doing tai chi or yoga
• Using equipment like a balance board or an inflatable dome on top of a circular platform, which challenges your balance
• Rock the boat – Stand with your feet hip-width apart, press your weight into both feet firmly and evenly, yield your weight onto your left foot and lift your right foot, and hold for up to 30 seconds.
• Do the flamingo and see how long you can stand on one foot, or try holding for 10 seconds on each side.
• Single leg cross-body punches while holding two dumbbells at chest height. Yield your weight onto your left foot, coming into a quarter-squat. Keep your left leg strong and stable and punch the weights across your body, one at a time. Keep changing sides with 10 to 20 reps for one to three sets.

How balance helps

Adding balance training into your workout improves body awareness, coordination, joint stability, reaction time, and your long-term health. If you are experiencing stability issues, clumsiness, joint pain, or increased falls, balance exercises can be highly beneficial to keep you strong and safe.

Always stay balanced

The importance of a strong sense of balance is essential to improve your overall health and fitness levels. It also may prevent the risk of injury and falls, especially in older adults, and maintain your independence longer. Pay attention to your posture and stability throughout the day and try to bring your body into proper alignment and feel a strong connection to the floor. Practice balance exercises every day or as many days as you like and as often as you like. Ask experts like the folks at Chiropractix for tips. They can even identify areas that may be useful to strengthen your balance techniques.