How much attention do you pay to your balance? We use it for pretty much every movement. As runners, we land and spring off one leg. We need it to ride our bikes and even to swim. Outside of sport, we use it for the most mundane of tasks like getting out of bed in the morning and carrying a suitcase. Balance really is life.
The problem with balance is that we don’t really notice it until it starts to go. And that's when life, not just sport, can become that much more complicated.
THE SERIOUS BIT:
Losing our balance is a serious problem. The World Health Organisation has found that falls are second only to road accidents as the biggest cause of accidental death. Similarly, research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2022 found that the inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds could be linked to an 84% increase in the risk of death.
Our balance peaks around the age of 30 - sometimes younger for men - and we start to lose it between the ages of 40 and 50. The more sedentary we are, the quicker the decline. And when we start to lose our balance, this can exacerbate the issue even further as we can start to lose confidence in our ability to move well and stay upright. Balance therefore, can be the difference between living independent, active and social lives and an ever-shrinking world that can feel lonely and isolating.
For those of us who love adventures in our trail shoes or on bikes, the loss of balance poses the risk of injury, accidents and the devastating potential of not being able to enjoy our 'thing' anymore.
THE OPTIMISTIC BIT:
Don't worry, as conscientious types, there's plenty we can do to avoid living a life full of anxiety about falling over all the time. Balance is something we can easily practise in our daily lives and doing so can improve your health and wellbeing, as well as improve your performance in any sport you may participate in - from hiking and running to swimming and tennis. More importantly, setting a few minutes aside each week to maintain and improve balance can also make sure we are doing everything we can to live longer, healthier lives.
STRIVE'S SIMPLE BALANCE EXERCISES:
Here are some of the best exercises you can complete at home or in your nearby surroundings.
Heel raises - standing tall with feet under your hips, lift yourself slowly onto your toes and back down again. Focus on controlling the movement, particularly on the way back down. Repeat 15 to 20 times. This exercise builds the strength in your ankles and feet, and also challenges your balance function.
Step ups - find a step - it doesn’t have to be steep but if you want the challenge, a park bench is ideal. As you step up on one leg, focus on keeping your eyes forwards, your hips and shoulders level and your knee tracking in-line with your second toe i.e. not collapsing inwards towards your other leg. Concentrating on stepping up with good posture and knee control, strengthens the muscles in your legs and core. Complete 10 to 12 step ups on each leg for three rounds.
Walking or running offroad - make the most of our Island’s different terrains and head out for a walk or a jog on the beach, coastal paths, muddy tracks or cliff paths. The varying terrains work the muscles in your feet and ankles, as well as the bigger muscles in your legs. When you focus on looking further in front of you, not down at your feet, you’re also improving your postural muscles and sharpening your proprioception i.e. the ability to sense the movement and location of our different body parts.
Standing on one leg during ‘idle time’ - while making a cup of tea or brushing your teeth, stand on one leg. This simple exercise challenges our balance, with little effort. Make sure you look forwards, stand tall and avoid resting your bent leg on the standing one i.e. keep a gap between both knees. If you want to make this harder, stand on a cushion or foot pod to add extra instability.
Sitting on the floor - if you’ve watched the Netflix documentary ‘Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones’ you’ll be familiar with the theory that sitting on the floor, as part of Japanese culture, is one of the reasons the residents of Okinawa, Japan, live so long. When we sit on the floor, not only are we improving our flexibility (we have to sit with our legs crossed, legs in front, or sit on our knees), we are also strengthening our core muscles and challenging our balance because we have to stand up again. Just make sure that when you are on the floor, you avoid slouching, which does our backs no good.
Deadbug - this is one of our favourite abdominal exercise. Not only does it strengthen core muscles, it improves coordination and motor function. This video from a US hospital is easy to follow and describes the technique brilliantly.
If improving your balance and core strength feels like something you’d like to prioritise this winter, I recommend joining a local Pilates class. Pilates is suitable for all ages and all levels and our Island has some wonderful teachers who will help you get the best from every class.
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