One of the most forgotten aspects of a well-rounded fitness program is balance. Balance training is incredibly important in avoiding injury, improving coordination, increasing core stability, improving ability to concentrate and focus, ease anxiety, increase mobility, decrease functional age, and allows for greater capacity to push yourself harder during workouts.
On average, if a person is not practicing balance exercises a few times a week, their ability to balance begins to decrease at the incredibly young age of 30. If balance training continues to be neglected as we move through our middle-age years, our likelihood to seriously hurt ourselves increases because risk of a fall drastically increases. And as we approach our golden years, one in three adults 65 or older will take serious falls each year.
Balance training is so important and so easy to include in our everyday routines! Below are some simple balance poses and exercises you can practice at home without any equipment!
- Stand on one leg: Yes, it’s really that simple. To make this more of a challenge, close your eyes.
- Walk Heel to Toe: taking 20-30 steps, heel to toe and then walking backward 20-30 steps toe to heel, can help increase balance.
- Spinal Balance Pose: from hands and knees, lift one leg straight toward the back wall. For more of a challenge, reach the opposite arm forward.
- Tree Pose: Bring all of your weight into one foot. The opposite foot comes into the standing ankle. For more of a challenge, slide the foot up the standing leg.
- Chair Pose: Sit your hips back as if you are getting ready to sit down. Your weight should be in your heels and the balls of your feet. Hover there. (Protect your knees by ensuring the knees don’t come out over the toes!)
-Leah
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