Exercises to improve your balance!
Many people are starting their new health and fitness programs at this time of year and it’s especially important that you are more prepared than usual as we emerge from our 2-year Covid Cocoon!
Before you slam yourself in the gym or on the pavement make sure you have the basics under control – your balance!
Start with these simple exercises:
- Single leg balance
- Single leg squat (start from a chair and progress from there.)
- Single leg dead-lift
- Single leg step down
We know that improved balance improves your health and longevity and you can test yourself by seeing if you can maintain a single leg balance for more than 10 seconds! (Araujo et al., 2022)
When you start back with your exercise start low and go slow to reduce the risk of injury and then progress your volume and loading as you improve!
Having a good amount of muscle mass is important as well as an equal amount of muscle on opposite limbs!
Check out your lean mass and functional balance with a DEXA scan!
References
Araujo, C. G., de Souza e Silva, C. G., Laukkanen, J. A., Fiatarone Singh, M., Kunutsor, S., Myers, J., . . . Castro, C. L. (2022). Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals. British Journal of Sports Medicine, bjsports-2021-105360. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2021-105360
