Balancing Act

September 23rd, 2010 by Amy Gonsalves Leave a reply »

Do you remember learning how to ride a bike?  Do you remember how many skinned knees it took you and how long you felt it took to train with training wheels and how many times you put your foot down just to avoid falling over?

And they say simple things are just like riding a bicycle.

I don’t recall it being simple at all!

But once you have the basics down, you have a only a few solid decades of good balance.  However, if you don’t use your balance you will lose it.

So, try some simple exercises to help you work on and improve your balance.  This will help you avoid falls by helping you stay upright as you navigate icy sidewalks, squished grapes on the grocery floor, and still-damp soccer fields.

Stand on one foot when you brush your teeth in the morning, and the other foot when you brush your teeth at night.  When you find a dime on the ground, try squatting to pick it up on one foot instead of two. 

When you sit down on the couch, don’t collapse into the cushions right away—touch your butt down and then hover over the seat for as long as it takes you to start trembling.  When a new show comes on, hover again but try it standing on one foot with the other leg out in front of you.  If you aren’t strong enough yet, put your heel on the ground to help.  Do 3-10 single leg squats like this on each side!

(The first person to make fun of you must do twice the reps you do.) 

The next time you’re on the phone, stand up and swing one leg in front and behind you 20 times before changing legs.  Stand next to a wall or countertop if you’re nervous!  You can always put your other foot down—there is nothing to stop you!  You are in charge of your body.

You can also try holding your knee close to your chest as you stand upright and tall.  Hold your knee in as close as you can for 3-5 seconds before you switch sides.  Do as many as you can.

Take a few minutes to do these simple balance training exercises and you’ll be doing a very good thing for yourself and your balance.  No skinned knees required!

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1 comment

  1. Marcy says:

    i DO remember learning to ride my bike–i didn’t learn until i ws 20 years old!

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