Five Ways to Improve Your Balance

A common complaint I hear is “My balance is awful” or something similar.

Of course, if you want something to improve – anything really – you have to work at it. But how often do you work on your balance?

Five Things You Can Do to Improve Your Balance:

• Before you try a balance drill, rub your foot on a tennis ball or golf ball. Just sit down in a chair and put your foot on the ball and roll it back and forth, side to side for about two minutes. Then do the same thing on the other foot. Why? Science has shown that manipulation of the soft tissue of the foot improves balance and it also feels good so it tends to put you in a better frame of mind.
• Buy an electronic tooth brush that has a built in timer. Most of these tools now come with a 2 minute timer (that’s how long you’re supposed to brush your teeth). Now, stand on one leg as one as you can while you brush your teeth. This is actually a little harder than standing still. The movement of your hand and arm cause tiny perturbations and your body has to react to that which is the essence of balance – catching your self from falling.
• When you get dressed, put on your sock and shoe while standing on one leg. This means that once you’ve got your sock on, you have to squat down on one leg to get your shoe and put it on.
• When you find your self stand in line waiting, just lift one foot and inch off the floor and practice. No one will notice or care unless, of course, you fall into them.

Then, once you’ve mastered these things, try them with your eyes closed. Warning: you could fall over so start slowly and work your way up to getting dressed with your eyes closed (and I take no responsibility for how you look).

Remember, good balance keeps your brain younger.

Do you have any balance exercises or things you do to help you improve your balance?