Two Ideas to Increase Your Balance

I used to have good balance, when I was young. Now my balance is awful, and one side is worse than the other. Must be me, aging. Is that you, rationalizing? It’s a common complaint. My question: when was the last time you practiced anything involving balance? You get better when you practice. You get worse when you don’t.

Have you considered that walking is balancing on one foot at a time? To strengthen your balance, slow down your walking, pausing on each foot before you step onto the other. You wouldn’t walk like that normally, but you could practice around the office, the house, or the park. While waiting in line at the grocery store, stand on one foot. It’s a perfect opportunity to practice balance. That’s one idea.

Meanwhile, strengthen the support muscles for your feet, knees, and hips. Knees give out way too early in life for most people. One thing that helps is mini-squats. Nothing big, this isn’t the gym, but endless small knee bends are helpful.

Here’s another idea: when standing (and yes, you should stand more), tighten everything between the hips and the feet, so you feel solid, like no one could push you over. Fire all those muscles. Lift one foot, keeping everything tight on the supporting side. Balance gets easier.

Maybe you had better balance 100 years ago, when you were young. You didn’t sit as much either. Sitting has ruined our balance. We’re slugs. In aging, you will have to work  more on everything. I don’t make up the rules; I look for ways to make them work for me.

Everyone has a right and, I believe, a responsibility to age intelligently. Just because it is  work doesn’t diminish it’s importance. The work you did when young was different: finding your way in the world, discovering friends and relationships, raising a family, surviving and thriving in a working environment. The work is different now: maintaining fitness, social responsibility, and creating a legacy.

Life is contribution. Stay in shape to participate and play in what comes next. Balance is a skill, like everything else. Want to exhibit better balance, have more choices in life, feel terrific every day? Stand more than you sit, move more than you rest, work on balance, strong muscles, good body support, and feeling productive. Maybe someday, cartwheels.

That’s Aging Intelligently