Improve Your Balance

Most people are not even aware of the importance of body balance in their fitness regime. They take their sense of balance for granted and spend no time or effort to increase it. The reality dawns when they actually fall and injure themselves. But by that time, it's just too late. Balance training is not the elderly's forte but it is important for everyone, right from athletes to morning walkers. Without good balance even the most simple physical tasks (such as riding on the bus while standing, standing on a ladder to change light bulbs and jumping over puddles) become difficult or hazardous.

What is balance of the body?

It is a force that influences your body at all times keeping you stable and making your movements graceful and effortless. Your brain processes information from a variety of sensory data delivered through your eyes, your inner ear (vestibular system) and the special receptor cells in your muscles, joints and tendons (proprioceptive receptors). When this sensory data signals that balance has been disrupted, your brain responds by tensing your stabilizing muscles (particularly core muscles in your lower back, abdomen and buttocks) to correct your position and keep you stable.

Without your body balance, your strongest muscles can be rendered useless. Body balance starts to diminish as our age crosses 30. This is detrimental because body balance is absolutely essential for day-to-day activities, right from jumping over puddles to trying to reaching inaccessible objects.

How would an improved body balance help me?

Your brain, eyes, inner ear, muscles, and bones work in tandem to maintain your body's balance. A poor balance can limit the range and type of activities that can be done without the fear of falling. This will increase your chances of bearing an injury which in old age can be extremely detrimental. On the other hand an improved balance can:

• Enhance your body posture. It also increases your appearance level as you will look taller and slimmer.
• Strengthen your core muscles.
• Reduce risk of back and joint pains and other injuries in old age.
• Faster reaction times.
• Increase suppleness and flexibility of the body.
• Reduce sports injuries and improve performance for an athlete.
• Raise your overall level of health, thus enhancing the overall quality of life.

Apart from being essential for everyday movement, improved balance is particularly important for athletes to excel in their sport. For example, consider a football player who kicks a ball while standing on one leg and pushed off by an opponent. Consider a dancer who spins on one foot.

How can I check whether I have a good balance?

There are a number of ways to test your balance. Poor balance is readily visible if you stand on one leg and shut your eyes. Try this exercise to find out your balance levels:

1. Stand barefoot on a flat and firm surface.
2. Close your eyes and lift one foot off the ground by about 6 inches, bending your knees at a 45-degree angle.
3. Start counting the seconds.
4. Stop counting if the raised foot begins to lower or touch the ground, if you begin to sway, or if you open your eyes.

If you successfully manage to hold your balance for more than 25 seconds, your body balance is very good. And, if you manage to hold it for more than 15 seconds, your body balance is good. But anything lower than that and you need help!

How can I work on my Balance?

Improving your balance takes time and effort. It is not a one day job. It can take two to three months before you notice improvements. Here are some exercises that you can try:

1. Yoga is an excellent option for improving your physical strength and body balance. Exercises like tadasana, virksasana, virabhadrasana, bakasana, utkatasanaa and malasana will help you strengthen your core and improve your balance. Many yoga exercises also include a lot of one-legged postures, which some of which demand advanced levels of balance.

2. Incorporate lower body exercises in your routine like hip extension, knee flexion and side leg raise. Strengthening your lower core muscles will enhance your balance.

3. Stand straight and raise one leg so that you are standing on one leg. Try to stand like this for 8-10 seconds. Repeat the exercise using your other leg. You can even try this exercise while waiting in a queue or while brushing your teeth. Make sure you have a support nearby (such as a wall or chair) which can use as a support if you begin to fall. If this becomes too easy, try it with your eyes closed or on an unstable surface like a pillow.

4. Stand on your toes and balance your body. Start with 10 seconds a day and gradually increase it to 30 seconds.

5. While walking put one foot directly in front of the other or try walking on a balance beam.

What about balancing products?

You might have seen a lot of fancy gadgets that promise to increase your balance. One of the best one is a Stability Ball. It has some really fantastic advantages and can add real challenge to your day-to-day exercises. Not that it is absolutely necessary to purchase the ball to improve your balance, but it certainly helps.

Now that you are aware of the importance of balance and the ways to achieve it, make sure you are taking all possible measure to rectify your balance. Look at it as an investment that will yield result in the long term.