When talking about fitness and health, we often mention endurance, building muscle,
or maintaining a healthy weight.
Balance, on the other hand, is often overlooked, but it’s oh so important.
Hi viewers and welcome back to another Bestie video.
Your body needs balance to function efficiently.
Balance is control—it’s how you manage to stay on your feet without falling over.
Adequate balance means better movement and fewer injuries.
That said, taking care of your balance isn’t just about preventing falls.
It's also a key element of your everyday movements.
When you walk, run, exercise, swim, or bike, you are effectively balancing yourself.
Believe it or not, your balance can start to deteriorate as early as your twenties.
But not to worry—the good news is there are simple exercises that can help improve
your overall balance.
And in today’s video, we will tell you what they are.
From marching, heel raises, mini lunges, tree pose to chair sits and more, watch till the
end to learn about all of them.
One Leg Stand: Stand on 1 leg as long as you are able, up to 30 seconds.
Remember to remain near a sturdy support that you can hold on if needed.
Alternate legs and try to do this 3-5 times on each leg.
As this becomes easier, challenge yourself by doing other tasks while standing on 1 leg,
such as brushing your teeth, talking on the phone, or while doing the dishes.
You can easily integrate this balance exercise into your daily routine.
What’s the longest you can balance yourself on one leg?
Tell us your time down below in the comments section.
Head Rotation: Head rotations can help improve balance in situations when vision changes
are involved.
Stand tall with your feet in line with your hips.
Gently rotate your head from left to right and then up and down for 30 seconds.
If you start to feel dizzy, stop or move your head more slowly.
If the dizziness doesn’t go away, stop the exercise and try again later.
You can also try this exercise sitting down first and work your way up to standing.
Marching: This marching exercise can help to improve balance and movement.
Stand upright and place your feet hip-width apart.
Slowly bend your knee, and lift your foot until your thigh is parallel to the floor.
Don’t worry if you can’t lift your thigh that high, just lift it as high as you can.
You can hold on to the back of a chair for added support if needed.
Alternate legs until you do 10 marches on each leg.
Rock The Boat: This simple exercise can help address standing balance problems.
Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart, and make sure they are firmly planted
on the floor.
Slowly lift your left leg out to the side or behind you and hold the pose for 30 seconds.
You can use a chair or cane for support if needed.
Repeat on your opposite leg and do five repetitions on each side.
Hold on to your leg for added support or suspend your leg in the air for a more challenging
pose.
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Clock Reach: This exercise is particularly useful for people who have vision problems
or mobility issues.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold on to a chair with your right hand.
Imagine a circle with yourself and the chair in the middle.
This circle represents the face of the clock.
Imagine 12 o’clock in front of you, 3 o’clock to your right, 9 o’clock to your left, and
6 o’clock behind you.
Slowly shift your weight to your right foot, lifting your left off the floor.
Use your left hand to point to 12 o’clock, then 9, and then 6.
Repeat on the left side, pointing to 12, 3, and 6 o’clock.
If you find you can’t reach all the way back to 6 o’clock, try to get as close as
possible.
If you want a more challenging exercise, hold a three-pound weight in your hand or use a
one-pound weight on the ankle of your raised foot.
Banded Toe Tap Exercise: Begin by putting a resistance band right above your knees on
your lower thighs.
Now, with your right leg, get into a quarter squat on a single leg.
Make sure to engage your hip and core muscles.
Slowly using the resistance band, start tapping your leg forward, to the side, and then backward.
Perform this for about 10 to 20 repetitions.
Repeat on the opposite side as well.
Chair Leg Raise: Sit upright in a chair, keeping your spine straight and placing your feet
under your knees.
Now, straighten out your left leg, and hold it there for a few seconds.
Slowly lower your leg back down and repeat with the other leg.
You can do 1 to 3 sets of about 10 to 20 repetitions.
If you would like to increase the difficulty level of this exercise, you can perform it
with ankle weights.
Mini Lunges: This exercise strengthens the legs while simulating a forward stepping motion.
If you sometimes stumble forwards, this exercise will help catch yourself before you actually
fall.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
While holding onto a counter or firm surface, step forward and bend your front knee slightly.
Return to your starting position and repeat with the opposite leg.
The lunge does not need to be deep.
If you experience increased knee or hip pain, modify this exercise by holding onto a counter
and taking smaller steps.
Perform 10 mini lunges on each leg.
Repeat 2 to 3 times.
Heel Raises: Your calf muscle contributes to balance because it controls your ankle
position.
When you feel unsteady or need to correct your balance, you’ll use your ankle muscles
to reposition.
Stronger calf muscles lead to better balance.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
While holding onto a counter or firm surface, lift your heels off the ground.
You should feel most of your weight shift to the front of your feet, as if you’re
standing on your toes.
It’s ok to press into the counter with your hands at first; just make sure you are staying
tall and not leaning.
Advance this exercise by reducing how much you press with your arms and eventually let
go of the counter.
Perform 10 repetitions.
Repeat 2 to 3 times.
Single Leg DeadLift: Stand on your right foot, engage the core, and slowly bend forward at
the hips.
Reach towards the floor with the left hand and lift the left leg straight behind you.
Hold for 1-2 seconds and squeeze your butt muscles as you return to the starting position.
Switch sides and repeat 10 times on each leg.
You may also hold a light dumbbell in one hand as you reach toward the floor.
Balancing Wand: If you’re looking for a balance exercise that does not ask for too
much, the balancing wand is a perfect solution.
You can use a cane, umbrella, or broom.
This exercise can be performed while seated.
Depending on the item you’ve chosen, hold the bottom so that it’s resting firmly on
the palm of your hand.
If you have chosen a broom, remove the broom head before beginning.
The idea here is to hold the stick for as long as you can.
Do not focus too much on one side.
Alternate your hands from time to time so that you balance both sides of your body evenly.
Tree Pose: Tree pose is great on the floor or on a folded mat.
It strengthens your ankles, improves your balance, and engages your core.
Stand with feet together, spine tall, and arms outstretched.
Slowly lift your left foot up to the side of your calf and balance on the right foot
only.
Slowly lift arms overhead to make the branches of the tree.
Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs.
It is very important that you have strong bones to perform these exercises well.
Learn more about how you can get rock solid bones by watching “11 Ways For You To Build
Healthier Bones”
Now, back to Easy Exercises To Improve Your Balance
Chair Sits: If this exercise sounds comically simple, that’s because it kind of is.
That’s not to say it’s not crucial.
In fact, sometimes the smallest movements are most effective at improving balance.
Note that if needed, you can hold onto the wall or a sturdy piece of furniture for balance
while you sit and stand.
Stand upright with your back facing a chair and your feet hip-width apart.
Slowly lower your hips onto the chair to sit, and pause for a second.
Then, push through your heels to stand back up.
Repeat the exercise ten times.
Tightrope Walk: This exercise helps to improve balance, posture and core strength.
It’s also super-simple to complete without any equipment.
Once you get really good at it, you can totally walk on a raised, tightrope-like surface,
but flat ground is also beneficial.
Standing up straight, hold your arms straight out from your sides, so they’re parallel
to the floor.
Walk in a straight line, pausing for one or two seconds every time you lift one foot off
the ground.
Take 15 to 20 steps, pause and then repeat once more.
Scissor Kicks: Lying on your back, lift your head and shoulders off the floor.
Be careful, so you don’t stress your neck.
Lift your right leg, until it’s at a 45-degree angle from your body, then switch legs.
The motion should vaguely resemble kicking your legs in a pool.
Keep switching for 45 seconds, then take a 15-second break.
While these exercises can help improve your balance, there are other exercises, which
can provide relief from other problems like back and nerve pain.
Learn more about these by watching:
Safe and Effective Exercises for Lower Back Pain
Or
12 Exercises To Ease Sciatic Nerve Pain
So go ahead and watch one or both of these videos for maximum benefits.
What’s the most difficult exercise for you from today’s video?
Let us know in the comments section below!