Have you noticed that your balance is not quite as good as it used to be? Do you sometimes feel unsteady when you’re walking? Perhaps you find yourself looking down at the ground more than you would like.
You may have
seen the impact of falls on friends or family members – the bruises and even worse, the bruised
confidence and possibly the broken bones.
If so,
then you’ll know how important it is to maintain our balance. And one of the
best ways to do so is with specific balance training exercises.
Balance
training can sound complicated, but it’s one of the easiest forms of exercise
to do.
What Having Good Balance Means
Our
balance is important because it keeps us upright, helps us to stand, walk and
take the stairs without falling. So, it’s a physical aspect, but it’s also
much, much more. As with so many things, though, we don’t think about it until
we start to lose it.
What Good Balance Gives Us Is Confidence
The more
you improve your balance, the more confident you will feel every day doing all
the things that you want and need to do.
This
confidence means you can plan trips without worrying about going down the
stairs in public places (especially where there’s no handrail).
It allows
you to walk down the street and concentrate on speaking with your friends or
looking up at the buildings or the trees around you.
It enables
you to travel further afield, to gardens, stately homes or foreign cities where
there might be uneven steps or cobblestones.
When you
aren’t worried about your balance, you can walk tall and make the most of every
day with joy and without anxiety.
Doing Exercises to Improve Your Balance
One of the
best ways to improve your balance is with regular balance training exercises. I
want to give you the confidence to get started with exercises to improve your
balance. Here are the three reasons why balance training is simple and easy to
do.
It Doesn’t Matter Where You Are
Firstly,
you can do balance exercises anywhere. You can do them at home (in your
kitchen, in your bedroom, anywhere really!).
You can do
them if you are staying at a friend’s house or in a hotel room on holiday. You
can even do your balance exercises in your cabin when you are cruising round
the Norwegian fjords!
All you
need is enough space to stand up and to take a couple of steps. You should also
have something to hold onto, in case you feel unsteady. That way, you know you
can challenge yourself without worrying about falling over.
No Props Needed
The second
great thing about balance exercises is that you don’t need any equipment. There
are a few balance exercises where we might introduce some equipment that
provides an unstable surface for you to stand on (perhaps a foam pad). If you
do need this, it’s light, inexpensive and portable.
However,
there are hundreds, even thousands, of balance exercises you can do that
require absolutely no equipment at all.
Not
needing heavy, bulky or expensive gear makes doing balance exercises so much
easier.
You Only Need a Couple of Minutes
Last, but
not least, you don’t need much time at all for these exercises. You can do enough
balance training to improve your balance in a few minutes a day. In fact, you
will see better results from doing a few short daily sessions than from doing one
longer session once a week.
It’s one
of those things that achieve more when you make them a daily habit. Which is
good news as finding half an hour to do something when you are busy can be
quite difficult. Setting aside five or ten minutes can feel much more
manageable.
Getting Started with Balance Exercises
So, we can
do exercises to improve our balance anywhere, with little or no equipment, and
we only need a few minutes! What are you waiting for?
Here’s one
of my favourite balance training exercises – try it with me now:
Tandem (tightrope) Walk – watch the video:
If you want more exercises to improve your balance, take a look at our free, four-week Balance
Boost video series. These online videos are short, clear and easy to
follow at home. They will help you feel steadier on your feet and more
confident every day.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What
balance exercises are you doing already? Where do you do them? If you haven’t
started doing balance exercises yet, why not and what is stopping you? Please
share your thoughts and concerns below.