Tips to Balance Confidently

One of the most commonly asked questions I’m asked is…

How can I improve my balance?

• Sometimes it comes in the form of a statement – “My balance isn’t good.”

• Sometimes there’s frustration with the statement – “I used to be able to balance and now I can’t.”

• Sometimes it comes with judgment – ““I should be able to balance.”

And it’s not limited to a certain age group. I’ve heard this statement from students in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond.

Good balance is essential. You need it for daily activities like walking, climbing stairs, and even standing still. Because falls are one of the leading causes of injuries among older adults we assume it’s not something to worry about until we get older. But the truth is, if you don’t use it, you lose it. At any age.

When you have good physical balance, you move confidently and freely. However, when you lack balance, it can greatly affect your confidence levels, even in everyday activities. It can lead to a sense of insecurity and hesitation in movement, causing you to hold back or avoid certain activities altogether.

Fortunately, balance is a skill that can be improved with practice and consistency. You may be frustrated that you can’t balance like you could 5 years ago, or that you’re pretty steady on one leg but the other is really wobbly. The truth is, wherever you are, you can improve.

Keep reading to learn 3 ways to improve your balance so that you can move with confidence.

Strengthen Your Core

Your core muscles play a crucial role in maintaining balance —they’re like your body’s stability team, preventing you from taking unexpected tumbles(1). You might think doing sit-ups or crunches is the way to go for a strong core. But here’s the thing: that movement mainly work the surface muscles and might not get deeper into your core. This also encourages 2 things:

1. The “forward head” thing that is so prominent in our society. 
   When your head is in front of your spine (also called “text head”) it impacts the rest of your body in so many ways. For now, let’s focus on core strengthening without encouraging a forward head. 

2. When the head and shoulders lift to engage part of the core we make faces.
   Seriously. We strain our face and neck, which may lead to recruiting other muscles to do the work rather than the ones we want. Or we bring our elbows forward and hope that they can help us lift into a crunch. 

One of my favorite ways to strengthen core

1. Safely make your way to the floor and lie on your back.

2. Bend your knees. Feet are flat on the floor, it doesn’t matter how close they are to your bum.

3. Make sure your low back is not touching the floor or overarching.

4. Lift your knees over your hips, let your feet dangle. Keep your pelvis stable.

5. Don’t let your lower front ribs lift to the sky. They like to do this! Control them by lowering them down toward the floor. 

6. Keep your hands on your pelvis OR lay them on the floor next to you. 

7. Keep your head and shoulders resting on the floor and don’t make faces. The face is soft, perhaps with a smile on it. 

8. As you inhale touch your right toes to the floor. 

9. Exhale and bring the right knee back in line with the left one. 

10. Inhale and touch your left toes to the floor.

11. Exhale and bring that knee back to your center, next to the right knee. 

12. Repeat 10 times on each side.

*Breathe in and out your nose.

* As you exhale focus on flattening your belly button toward your spine. You’re NOT pushing your belly button forward

*Go SLOW!

*If you’re doing it with ease you can touch your toes further from your bum to increase the difficulty.

*You should feel the “work” on the front abdominals – if you start feeling the low back doing the work, stop. The front abdominals are tired and you can come back to it later.

Here’s the audio of the instructions above.

Stand on one leg

Practicing balance exercises is an effective way to improve your balance (2). Remember, balance is a skill and one we MUST continue to challenge to improve.  The first step is to let go of any expectations or judgments you have regarding how well you balance right now. None of this “I should be able to stand on one leg” or “I used to be able to…”. 

Those negative thoughts won’t help you improve your balance.  But actual balance practice will.

Let’s balance

1. Stand next to a table/countertop/chair

2. Face the toes dead ahead and have your feet separated, this provides a more solid foundation. Really notice how it feels to have this solid foundation. This helps improve body awareness.

3. Feel your stabilizers. Keeping a hand on your chair or table, shift your weight into one leg.

4. Keep that standing leg straight and shift the weight into your heel (not so much that you fall backward). We sometimes shift our weight into our toes, which can push our pelvis forward. 

5. Lift the other leg.  Can you feel the muscles on the side of your hip and into butt work? Good.

6. When we shift our weight to one leg we sometimes push that hip out to the side. Don’t let that happen. Hug in the standing outer hip – strongly pushing that heel downward helps with that. 

Our body is great at compensating to “help” us out. Keep note of the following.

• Don’t let your low front ribs jut forward

• Don’t stick your butt out

• Don’t let your shoulders move behind your hips – keep them over your hips.

Let your gaze fall to a point and keep it there. Keep breathing. Aim to stay here for a little longer each time. Then repeat on the other side. 

As you improve your balance there are ways to challenge it further. You can add challenges like holding weights or closing your eyes. Or lift your leg higher. Practicing balance exercises a few times a week can help improve your balance and reduce the risk of falls.

Improve Your Proprioception

Proprioception is the ability to sense the position, movement, and orientation of your body parts in space. It’s an important aspect of balance and coordination. Therefore, improving proprioception can help improve balance (3).

How can you improve your proprioception? The above practice of standing on one leg is a great way to improve your proprioception. It’s simple but powerful. You can start to incorporate standing on one leg into your daily routine. Try it while you’re brushing your teeth. Or make it more challenging by slowly moving your lifted foot forward and back as you stand.

Another effective way to improve proprioception is through the use of unstable surfaces, such as a pillow, cushion, foam pads or wobble boards. These surfaces challenge the body’s ability to maintain balance, which can lead to improvements in proprioception over time. Yes, I just gave you a reason to get one of those fun wobble boards, like this one.

Lastly, go for a walking meditation (4). It’s where you walk mindfully. As you walk, notice the way your feet hit the ground heel first. Notice the way you push off with your big toe. What are your arms doing? If you get distracted, bring your attention back to what you’re feeling in your body as you move.

Improving Your Balance is a Lifelong Journey

Balance is a crucial aspect of daily movement and can be improved with practice and consistency.

Strengthening your core, practicing balance exercises, and enhancing your proprioception will improve your balance and confidence. Start with simple exercises and progress at your own pace. Improving your balance is a lifelong journey, and it’s never too late to start!

Wanna keep reading? Check out this article on why movement matters!

Sources:

1. Sturnieks DL, Tiedemann A, Chapman K, Munro B, Murray SM, Lord SR. (2014). Exercise improves balance and reduces fear of falling in older people with hip fracture: a randomized controlled trial. J Rehabil Med.;46(4):382-386.

2. Wolfson L, Judge J, Whipple R, King M. (1995) Strength is a major factor in balance, gait, and the occurrence of falls. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci.(Spec No):64-67.

3. Arvin M, Kargarfard M, Seyedjafari E, Ghiasian M. Effect of Proprioceptive (2019) Training on Balance and Falls in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Sport Rehabil. 28(8):847-854.

4. Chatutain A., Pattana J., Parinsarum T., Lapanantasin S. Walking meditation promotes ankle proprioception and balance performance among elderly women. J. Bodyw. Mov. Ther. 2019;23:652–657. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2018.09.152