A Fort Lauderdale Chiropractor Explains the Importance of Incorporating Balance Exercises into Your Workout Routines.
A Fort Lauderdale Chiropractor might ask “What is the number #1 component that all living things(including parasites, plants, etc.) have for survival?” The answer might surprise you. It’s not air or water. It’s Motion. We must be able to move to thrive in life.
Adult humans are made of 206 bones and about 650 muscles. We are not meant to sit 8 hours a day working on computers. We are meant to move. That’s why gyms have become abundant for many to get or stay in shape for a healthier body and more importantly to prevent disease. We all know about the importance of strength and cardiovascular training because that’s the majority of what we see and do at the gym. However, we need to understand the basics such as balance.
Balance is the reason why we don’t fall and continuously injure ourselves. For athletes, balance is an essential component of a workout because it will help their strength, endurance and naturally perform harder with better results. The same goes for most people because balance is a precursor for most movements including walking, running, sitting, standing and lifting. We usually underestimate balance because we are very habitual and our day to day schedule become routine which allows our body and muscles to adapt to the things we do most. But if we take you out of your routine, challenges will occur. For example, you take a wrestler and ask them to play basketball, coordination may be off and vice versa. We train our muscles to fit our schedule and routine the best we know how. However, a well balanced coordinated person will be able to adapt immediately to any challenge.
Balance is defined as the body’s ability to maintain its center of gravity above its base of support. Naturally, there are two ways to test balance. One is static which is standing in one spot motionless, and the other is dynamic which examines postural control while in motion.
Balance can be strengthened just like any muscle. The more you incorporate balance exercises into your workout routine, the better your body reacts to any physical situation.
Two Examples of Balance Exercises
Static Balance: stand on a BOSU ball or a disc with both legs, do squats and when ready, add overhead shoulder raises while doing squats.
Dynamic Balance: Lunges, multidirectional reach while balancing on one leg, any movement using resistive bands is a great dynamic exercise while building balance.