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Fifty Sense: Common Sense Ideas for Thriving after 50
Fifty Sense: Common Sense Ideas for Thriving after 50

Health: Wobble Boards Resource

The Balance Game, January, 2001
By Louis Stack, President, Fitter International Inc.
Member, Canadian National Speed Skiing Team, 1991-95

As each 24-hour period passes we all get one day older and one day wiser. This wisdom helps us make key decisions that pave the way for a happy and healthy future. We balance our financial affairs. We balance our diets, our exercise programs and we even attempt to keep that fine balance between our work and personal life.

But the most fundamental type of balance, that innate human function that we depend on each day, to get out of bed, walk, play sports or to dance the night away - is taken for granted. That is until an injury, health problem or sedentary life style degrades it. Like maintenance on our cars and houses, balance maintenance helps prevent premature problems.

The best way to approach balance maintenance, regardless of your age or fitness level, is to enhance it a little bit each day. It is easy to incorporate simple balance tasks into your existing daily routine.

For example, I heard of an 88 year old gentleman, Sam, who is a great golfer with an unbelievable drive. Sam's secret is that since his army days he has put his socks on while standing and balancing on one foot. At 88 years young, Sam is still maintaining his balance one sock at a time.

Sounds easy. Give it a try, and you'll realize that it is easier on one leg than the other. To spice up the challenge, try it with your eyes closed. Want more? Try standing on a pillow and doing it in slow motion. The point is that daily balance enhancement can be as easy as getting dressed. Here are a few more daily balance opportunities:

  • At work, stand up and balance on one leg when on the phone;
  • At home try sitting on a fitness ball instead of a chair;
  • In the gym, stand on a wobble board for some dumbbell exercises;
  • Out walking, pretend to be a tight rope walker along curbs;
  • Use the swings, slides and teeter totter in your local park;
  • Play catch with a ball or Frisbee standing on one leg (do both sides).

The possibilities are endless, but the result will always be excellent in that your body's balance, stability and reaction skills will improve. Incorporate balance games into your day and you will also gain:

  • Improved dynamic stability, useful in faster moving sports like mountain biking, skiing or skating;
  • Reduced risk of injury thanks to a more efficient response to stimuli at a subconscious level- also called proprioceptive response;
  • Sharpened athletic prowess as your body improves the integration of its neurological and muscular networks; and
  • More efficient movement patterns of joints and muscles creating less wear and tear on joints, better posture and better balance between stabilizer, neutralizer and prime mover muscles.

These are just a few of the returns you will get by investing a little time each day into balance maintenance. Young or old, it's never to late to start, and once you experience the benefits of it, you to will be hooked on the balance game for the rest of your life!

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