Next Level Balance (For All!)

By Shane Sauer

Since July, we’ve been discussing the many pitfalls of aging and how to minimize and manage them. Topics like mobility, hearing, memory, strength, speed, and vision. To wrap up this conversation for now, I thought you might like to know more about balance.

Unlike the others, balance can be directly related to injury through a fall. So learning how to maintain your balance as you age could be our most important topic to date.

Do you practice balancing? Maybe by standing on one leg? While helpful, single-leg balance is also overly simplistic. Having good balance requires an integration of three different systems:

1. Proprioceptive - What your BODY tells you

2. Vision - What your EYES tell you

3. Vestibular - What your INNER EAR tells you

Any time you are on two feet, there is some amount of balancing taking place. As you move to one leg, you are changing your base of support so your BODY is being challenged more intensely while the other systems are unaffected.

In real life, you’re more likely to be thrown off balance by movement rather than by having a small base of support.

For example, have you ever kicked something or reached for something and lost your balance? Quick movement of your limbs can throw you off. Similarly, quick movements of the head can make you stumble, like when you turn around too fast. Both of these factors are involved when you bump into someone or something.

So if you’d really like to train your balance, make sure you include these different challenges:

• Move your limbs when you’re in a narrow or single-leg stance. The faster you move the more challenging it will be.

• Instead of moving your limbs, turn your head side to side or up and down. You could even try this when walking.

• Lastly, consider closing your eyes. This will challenge your vision system during balance.

Want some more specific details on how to do this? Next month I will be holding my balance workshop. You’ll learn all about these different systems and create a personalized training routine for them.

Can’t wait until then? Reach out to me directly and I’ll send you that balance routine!