Ron says
That’s a great idea. Works on balance as well as the core.
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How to Feel Younger One Leg at a Time
It’s a simple task.
But, few can do it, correctly, the first time and it took me over six months to achieve.
Standing still, on one leg, for 30 seconds.
You might be thinking, “Really? Took a year? Poor guy. How hard is that?”
Uh-huh. Until you try it.
Stand tall and still on one leg. Bend the other leg to 90 degrees at the knee and hip such that your thigh is parallel to the floor and lower leg points to the floor. Arms at your sides. Now, stand still. Completely still. No flailing around like Joe Cocker at Woodstock. No wiggling or writhing – even a little. Just stand still. Time your self. The moment you lose control of the perfectly still position, the test ends.
Go ahead. Try it.
Balance is essential for movement.
Movement is the transition from one point of balance to the next. It is sequential episodes of balance – imbalance – balance. Walking requires you to lose and catch your balance. Running is just very advanced walking. You propel yourself forward, are momentarily imbalanced, then catch your yourself. If you have ever watched a 2 or 3 year old child walk, you’ll see the episodes of balance and imbalance. As the child grows, movement improves as balance improves. As an adult, this cycle of balance – imbalance happens so fast that you don’t even realize it – until you’re injured.
Injuries and inactivity create imbalance and the only way you get your balance back is by facing the imbalance and working on it.
The temptation is to skip over something so simple. I tried. I tried a variety of exercises, stretching, a bunch of things that I convinced myself I needed to do to abolish the pain in my back years ago. I was working hard and made sure that after every session, I was worn out; that I had really put everything I had into the drills and routines. Then one day I tried standing on one leg – something I often asked my clients to do – duh. I couldn’t do it. I struggled for about 10 seconds with a shaky leg and wobbly trunk. I remember feeling ticked off that I couldn’t do something so basic as stand on one leg.
Balance is one of the main elements of a complete training program. Balance not only improves your movement but reduces the risk of falls as you age and keeps your brain healthy. Yeah, that’s right, it turns out that balance is a great aging weapon for your brain.
The cerebellum is a region of the brain that coordinates all of the muscles and joints needed to maintain your balance. And, the cerebellum isn’t stimulated much when you sit on your butt all day pounding a computer keyboard. Ever heard the phrase, “Use or lose it?” Well, when you do not use your brain for certain things, like balance, the connections in the brain fade like an old picture. Before long, you not only have trouble standing on one leg but doing things like bending to pick something up off the floor or reaching high above your head to get something down from a cabinet become challenging events.
So, if after testing your self, you find your balance out of whack, start practicing balancing on one leg and when you get good at that consider things like Tai Chi, Yoga, or Pilates – or The ActiveAge Blueprint (we have some very cool Balance & Flexibility Elements packed with balance challenges) – all great avenues for improving your balance.
Great balance helps keep you feeling as young as possible for as long as possible.
How’s your balance?