How long has it been since you checked your balance?

I was talking to a friend at a yoga workshop yesterday and she commented that as she got older, she hadn’t realized that she was losing her balance.

Try this:

Stand up. Shift your weight to one foot. Now, bend the opposite knee and lift your knee up so that your thigh is parallel with the floor. Hold that for 10 seconds.

How’d ya do?

There are a whole host of muscles involved in keeping you balanced. Mainly, your core muscles. Balance starts from your center. If you pull your belly button into your spine and then try that exercise again, you may find that you’ll do better. Go ahead, try it… see?

Balance need a little work?

If you didn’t do so well with that exercise above, not to worry – you’re not alone, and it’s definitely something you can improve.

Simply take a little time (5 minutes or so) each day to work on your balance. You can do the exercise above a couple of times on both sides – don’t forget to pull your belly button in and focus on your center while you’re lifting your knee.

You can also get down on the floor on all fours. Then, lift opposite hand and opposite leg off the floor and hold. Again, engage your abdominal muscles by pulling your belly button into your spine.

Balance is important for every day living. Adding movement to your day will definitely improve your balance, but, don’t forget to specifically work on it to keep your balance strong.