This week's goal: Practice Your Balance

This week's goal:

Practice Your Balance!

As kids, we run around, jump on things, walk on the curb, and are constantly challenging the systems that help us with our balance. When we get older, we stop doing these things and begin slowly losing the ability to balance well. This loss of balance predisposes us to falls and other injuries. By practicing at least a few minutes a few times a day, we can decrease the amount at which we lose this ability and even reverse the loss!

Here is a simple exercise to do a few times a week!

Begin standing with feet together and near a wall or something to grab onto if you begin losing balance. With your eyes open, slowly lift your right foot off the ground and bring it to your knee or as high as it can get. Hold this pose for 20 seconds. Do the same with the left. Repeat on each side 5 times. Once you feel comfortable, lift your leg up and then slowly turn your head to the right and left while continuing to hold the position. Finally, try to hold the pose again while keeping your arms perfectly at your sides, then at 90 degrees, and finally with your arms raised above your head. As you begin to balance easier in this position, work your way from 20 seconds to 30 seconds.

After mastering the exercise above, try going up on your toes. Keep both feet on the ground at first. For the truly masterful, you can begin doing the exercises on your toes with only one foot at a time!

yours in health,

dr Samantha boldt