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Balance Training

© Mindy Herzog

As we age, our ability to find balance in daily activities decreases. This also leads to a decrease in our willingness to try new activities, work out, or just go to the store (depending on severity) because we are too afraid of falling. At any rate, you can improve your balance and your confidence to do the activities you choose.

Balance is a function of the nervous system, which is directly influenced by your five senses. A sixth sense, called proprioception, in the muscles, bones, hands, feet, and connective tissues alert you when balance is threatened.

Proprioception is the awareness of posture, movement and changes in equilibrium and the knowledge of position, weight, and resistance of objects in relation to the body. In short, it is an intricate balance of input from lots of places (inner ear, muscle receptors, tendon receptors, etc.) that tell you where you are in space. When you run on uneven terrain you not only strengthen your muscles, but you also challenge your sense of balance and your proprioceptive system has to work harder. Like anything else, the more you practice the better you get.

Balance Exercises to Practice at Home

1. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and find correct posture. Head over shoulders, shoulders over hips, knees over ankles. Imagine a string being pulled from the top of your head making you nice and tall.

2. Close eyes and tune into the sway of your body. Recovery of balance isn’t stillness but that it is impossible to stand still is called sway. Generated by your nervous system, sway is an oscillating, unconscious series of impulses that charge your muscles to keep you upright with minimum effort.

3. Stand with eyes closed and shift hips to the left, repeat right, and circle.

4. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, eyes open, extend arms slightly forward and lower than the shoulders. Lift both heels off the floor and try to hold the position for 10 seconds.

5. Perform 1-legged stand with one foot raised to the back (knee flexed at 90). Try to maintain position for a minimum of 3 seconds. Work up to 10 seconds. Repeat on left and right sides.

6. Repeat #5 with knee to the front.

7. Transfer body weight onto one foot and lift the other slightly off the floor to the side. Reverse. Again try to hold for 3 seconds and work up to 10.

8. With knee straight but not hyper extended, execute single leg raises to the front then back. Leg raises are low to the ground and not above hip level, a slight raise.