What are Balance Exercises?
Updated: Jul 31, 2021
Good balance helps keep you active and avoid injury. It helps you to perform many activities you do every day, some as simple as walking and standing.
Good balance is more and more important as we get older, as our bodies are more susceptible to injury from falls and spills. Regardless of your age, good balance is essential to your physical health at any age.
The American Heart Association classifies health as one of the four types of exercise, along with strength, endurance, and flexibility. We often don't consider balance a form of exercise, but it is and should be incorporated into your regular exercise routine if you want to improve performance and reaction, and decrease risk of injury.
There are many ways to work on your balance, some of which you may already be doing. For instance, a lot of lower-body exercises help improve balance. Yoga and tai chi are are more focused balance exercises that add variety and help keep exercise exciting.
Here's a list of simple balance exercises you can do to improve your health:
Balance Exercises
Stand with all your weight on one leg as long as you can, then alternate to the other leg. Steady yourself with a wall or counter if you need a little extra support. You can do this anytime and anywhere, for example: when waiting in line, while brushing your teeth, or working in the kitchen.
Walk heel to toe for 20 steps. Try doing this around the house as you go about your regular day.
Walk while alternating high knee lifts with each step.
Sit down on a chair and stand up without using your hands
Use equipment like a Bosu ball or Exercise ball for advanced exercises
Yoga and Tai Chi
Final Tip
It doesn't matter what or how you work on your balance. But the important thing is that you perform balance exercises to help improve your physical health. To work on my balance, I like to add variety to my strength training exercises by standing on one leg or striking a different pose. For example, performing the military press on one leg or with one leg in front of the other.
I also make great use of my Exercise Ball. Check out a full list of exercises to perform with the Exercise Ball here: Workouts for Exercise Ball
Want more tips on improving your physical health through exercise? Check out some of our other posts: Exercise
Have something to add? Leave a comment below or on our facebook page.