Two steps to improve your balance
Welcome to the weekly warble here at Ideanthro Movement.
This week I'm going to talk about the two things you need to do if you want to improve your balance.This topic obviously becomes really important as we grow older. We all know that falls become a problem as we age, but let's be honest, it's equally important if you're a little younger but want to make sure your balance never declines to the point that it becomes a problem for you.
So, what are the two things you need to do to improve your balance?
1) You need to build at least a bare minimum amount of strength (primarily in the legs, but more generally throughout the body) to control yourself in whatever positions you may get into both when going about your daily business, and when you lose your balance.
2) You need to practice the skill of balancing and regaining your balance in a wide variety of contexts
Why these two things? Think about it this way.
If I stumble and take a step to try and catch myself, that step is probably going to be into a weird position, and it's probably not going to be the most gentle and controlled step I've ever taken. I might end up stepping bent over and thumping down with my foot. If I don't have the strength to control that step, I'll simply collapse to the ground. No amount of balance skill will help will overcome the lack of strength. But at the same time, if I have decent strength, but the last time I tried to regain my balance was in primary school on the playground, I might still not succeed. The skills of regaining my balance may well be rusty. Thus we need both the strength and the skill to balance well.
Have a lovely day!
Cheers
Jack