Healthy B.P.M.

Balance, balance, and more balance. That’s all we here about these days, and that’s a good thing. It’s in our best interest to eat balanced meals, find a healthy balance between our work and home life and in all of our relationships. Not to be overlooked is body balance.

Balance exercises work wonders to improve joint stability and overall strength in joints. Nerve cells, called proprioceptors, help you maintain balance in several forms of movement. Proprioception is the body’s ability to know where your body is in space. For instance, if you close your eyes and move your arm around, you stimulate the proprioceptors in the shoulder and your brain knows where your arm is in space, even though you can’t see it.

Balance is also something that we take for granted until we lose it. The older we get the more we will rely on balance for our daily functional activities.

Balance Equipment
Balance or “wobble” board training, is now being included in training programs on a regular basis. These exercises are specifically designed to increase activation of the nerve cells which will affect the central nervous system pathway to the brain. Enhancing your sense of balance. The use of balance boards are the most common form of proprioceptive training, and aren‘t as challenging as they seem, at first. They’re also useful in rehab with injured ankles and knees and in improving overall body balance.

A wobble board is a circular or oval piece of wood placed on top of a ball. The wood should be about three-quarters of an inch thick and two feet around. The ball should be about the size of a softball. Set the wobble board on the ball near a counter or a table. Hold onto the counter and balance on the board with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Initially you’ll move very slowly; wobble and pivot as you feel comfortable. Balance exercises aren’t to be taken lightly and you have to give yourself a chance to get used to the initial feeling of instability. You will not perfect this right away, so don’t beat yourself up about it and please don’t give up.

You aren’t just limited to wobble boards for balance training. There’s a whole slew of equipment to choose from. The balance or stability ball, balance disks, and the Bosu. The Bosu has a flat bottom on which you can step or do sitting exercises, with or without added resistance.

Steppers feature two pedal-like steps with or without a digital readout to help you keep track of time, calories burned, etc.

Then there are skateboards and they’re not just for kids anymore. Skateboarding also works your core along with enhancing your balance. A helmet would probably be a good idea with this one.

Tai-chi and Yoga are excellent classes to work your balance literally and figuratively. Don’t forget surfing either.
The most readily available and economical piece of equipment is your body. Any time you’re standing on one foot, you’re working on balance. Lift your leg or knee and you’re taking it to another level. Try putting on and taking off your shoes while standing on one foot. Remember, practice makes perfect.