Improving balance may not be number one on your priority list, but maybe it should be. Balance is in the same category as flexibility, core strength, and mobility. These are all things our bodies need to function efficiently, but many of us don’t exercise to improve them. If you exercise regularly, you already improve your balance without even knowing it. But just because you exercise doesn’t mean there aren’t things to improve.
Balance is one of those things where you don’t realize its importance until you start to lose it. And for most of us, this loss comes with old age. For some elderly people, poor balance and falls may be due to medical problems that they have no control over. But for the vast majority of these people, it’s simply a matter of losing strength and the natural ability to move the way you did when you were younger because you just don’t anymore. And in case you don’t think you need to take it so seriously, consider that falls are the leading cause of injury death among people 65 years of age and older. And it only takes one fall to have to spend a few weeks or months in rest to recover and regain your independence.
Simple ways to improve balance
- Incorporate unilateral exercises – one arm or one leg at a time – or change your posture in your strength training routine to improve balance. For example, using a stance with alternate arms or legs requires more balance than a wide stance in which both arms or legs are used at the same time.
- When using weight lifting machines, sit away from the pad to work on the torso stabilizers.
- Get an exercise ball: Among the multitude of exercises you can do with this accessory, you can also simply sit on it while watching TV or working on the computer. It’s a great way to balance and get fit.
- Incorporate simple rocking movements throughout the day: While standing, try to balance on one leg for as long as you can. To make it more difficult, close your eyes.
- Walk with a book on your head: It will improve your balance and your posture.
- Incorporate yoga into your regular routine : Yoga accomplishes many things in one go: it increases balance, stability, flexibility, and muscular endurance.
Take a look at these new balance tools and materials to help you stay stable and improve this aspect of your physical health. Practicing exercises with fitness materials like the ones listed below can also help you gain more stability and balance, as well as strengthen your core.
Accessories that can help you improve balance
Balance board
The balance board is great for improving balance and coordination. It looks like a skateboard but has a swivel wheel underneath that allows you to maneuver in any direction , whether indoors or outdoors.
The information pack that comes with the board advises you to be careful the first time because it is difficult to find your balance at first. Once you get the hang of it, you won’t be able to stop using it. There are many exercises you can do with the plank to improve balance, including push-ups, squats, and upper-body weight training exercises while standing on it.
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Balance ball
Another great tool for balance is the exercise ball or stability ball. The stability ball is great because of its versatility. You can use it to strengthen the core muscles (abdomen, back and pelvic floor) and in the meantime, you will be automatically working on balance and internal stabilizers. You can also use your ball for stretching exercises, and you can even use it as a weight bench for upper-body exercises like push-ups and push-ups.
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Wobble board
The Woble board is another popular balance enhancement accessory on the market today. Like the previous one, the Wobble board is used to help improve balance and agility. Most boards of this type are circular and have a sphere underneath that adjusts to different angles according to your skill level. You can do squats or upper body exercises while standing on the board and add a balance challenge to your workouts.
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Bosu
Bosu is not a difficult object to use. It is a platform that is in the shape of a half sphere with a rigid base, and that can be used from both sides. Put it on one side or the other the goal is the same: stay on it, either with your legs, arms, buttocks, etc. exerting the same pressure and force to maintain balance. In this way, your body will remain balanced and level, and most of the work will be done with the “core”, since the center of gravity is right in the abdomen.
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Balance cushion
The balance cushion , also called proprioceptive, is an accessory to improve balance that continues to gain followers thanks to the physical benefits that your work with it brings.
But, what is its difference with a normal cushion? Very easy. It is a cushion created by resistant materials (PVC, rubber …) that includes an air chamber that allows it to be inflated to the point of becoming an unstable platform that requires a small balance to be able to remain on it.
