Improving your balance can massively reduce the risk of falls and make every day tasks easier. This often forgotten element of fitness is incorporated into all of our wellness sessions and of course using poles makes working on balance easier too!

The great news is ….its never too late to start adding daily balance exercises to your routine. It’s actually quite simple to do. In this article we explore why it’s so important and a few easy ways to work on your balance at home or when walking.

Why?

Most people associate poor balance with the risk of falling which is of course true, but it also affects your ability to carry out basic tasks because you lose the skills to quickly adapt to any changes in your body position especially if unexpected – known as your ‘reaction’

This can be a simple in a change in the terrain beneath your feet such as a sudden dip, slippery mud or even hills.

Physically this reaction is  quite a complex formula which involves your nerves, eyesight, muscles, sensory system that knows where the ground is, the inner ear and even your joint receptors. Interestingly, we are not born with good balance but we learn it as we might a language – we can unlearn it as we age if we do not work on it too. That’s why at WALX we are so focused on a total body approach to exercise and helps work all of these systems as well as our hearts and lungs.

Posture is vital too and has a direct relationship with balance in that if either one is poor it will affect the other and a cycle of reduced stability/mobility begins. If we sit all day or are not very mobile we develop a hunched posture which in turns affects that whole body positioning and weight distribution. Working on your balance will improve your posture which in turn improves your gait as you walk.

A study published in the British Journal of sports medicine concluded that an inability to balance was actually associated with an almost twofold increase in risk of death after studying 1,700 middle aged over a 10 year period. This is because falls result in injuries which in turn affect mobility and other risk factors. Our partners in occupational health or falls prevention clinics tell us that those who are afraid of falling ( often after having had one) tend to stay indoors or restrict their activity levels and so are more likely to be at risk of falling again due to lack of conditioning.

The good news is ….its’ never too late ( or too early) to add some balance exercises into your weekly regime.

How can we improve balance?

The secret is to keep your motor skills in top condition Simply performing the simple static drills below can improve balance massively – build through this sequence before advancing onto more difficult ones. If you try these at home, make sure you can hold on to  something if you are likely to wobble though! We have used pictures from our groups to demonstrate some of the drills

Drill one involves simply standing on one leg and raising the other so the knee is bent in front of you. You can choose to alternate this as a march on the spot initially if you feel you can’t stand for too long on one side. Gradually build up to longer periods in this position making sure you have something to hold if you need too. Most groups find using poles is great for this as you can lift them off the ground until you need to bring them back in. Obviously, it’s important to work both sides!

Drill 2 Stand on one leg again but this time adjust the position of the free leg by straightening it in front of you and pointing the toes ( just off the ground ideally) before bending it again and then placing back on the ground in the start position. Repeat both sides

Drill 3 Next take the free leg out to the side to further adjust body position and hold as long as you can. Repeat both sides

Drill 4 Simply take the free leg back behind you BUT this time you will need to adjust the upper body position with a forward lean so take it slowly and be aware of how all those different systems kick in to keep you balanced.

There are loads of ways to add difficulty and challenges to this basic sequence too.

In this picture the Ladies are taking it even further and working their cores by bending the anchor leg and picking up the poles from the ground.

Taking things further ….

Adding movement to the drills is known as dynamic balance exercise You might want to swing the leg from the hip back and forth 10 times and see if you can stay on the anchor leg throughout for instance.

Walking along a line and lifting one leg in any position is also quite challenging as are walking lunges, especially if you take them slowly. Alternatively a single leg squat whilst moving the free leg as described below will really challenge you:-

Drill 5. Stand on one leg as before and gently squat down and swing the other leg slightly bent at the knee When it comes to the front the knee should come up to waist level as you gently straighten the anchor leg. Do this up to 10 times. Repeat with alternate leg.

Remember to only squat down and bend the anchor leg slightly rather than trying to squat down as if sitting.

Drill 6 Stepping up and down with a pause in between steps is also good practice – great if you see a flight of steps in a park and you could try stepping up ( and down) sideways too. All of these will help with your balance, motor skills and even strength.

If trying these at home, you might like to use a wobble cushion, balance board ( as shown above) or pillow under the anchor leg as a way to make it tougher too.

Yoga and Tai chi are also great ways to add balance to your life so check out if your group offers the Yoga WALX sessions or book for FREE on line with the HQ team and enjoy it in the comfort of your own home. If you would like to find classes that incorporate these drills search for total body walking (fitness or wellness) on the WALX website or for Nordic Walking UK groups search wellbeing or workout walks depending on your level.