| More and more seniors are starting to incorporate | | | | as long as you do them three or more times per |
| balance training into their exercise programs. This | | | | week. |
| makes sense when you realize that improving | | | | How long should I do balance exercises for? |
| your stability can also help prevent falls, which are | | | | Balance training should only take about ten |
| the leading cause of injury for people over the | | | | minutes. If you're used to spending an hour on |
| age of sixty. Because balance training is rather | | | | the treadmill several times a week, this may |
| new, there is a lot of confusion on the topic. Here | | | | sound odd to you, but balance exercises are |
| we will take a look at some of the most common | | | | different. You are really training the brain more |
| questions about training balance. | | | | than anything else. So you don't need to exhaust |
| What exactly is happening in my body that will | | | | your muscles or heart to make a positive impact. |
| result in better balance? | | | | What muscles am I using when I do balance |
| When you do a balance exercise, and you sway | | | | exercises? |
| slightly from side-to-side or forwards and | | | | To some extent, you are using all of your |
| backwards, your central nervous system is | | | | muscles. There are no specific muscles whose |
| accumulating information about your body's | | | | main job is to help you balance. The brain will |
| position. When it notices that you are leaning too | | | | recruit whatever muscles it needs at the moment |
| far from your center point, it quickly turns on | | | | to help you stay stable. |
| whatever muscles will pull you back to center. | | | | The muscles in your feet and legs will activate |
| The idea behind balance training is that we are | | | | and relax to pull you slightly one way or the other. |
| teaching the central nervous system to do this | | | | Your core muscles turn on to keep your hips |
| process faster and more efficiently. | | | | over your base of support (your feet). And the |
| How often should I do balance exercises? | | | | muscles of your upper body will flex when |
| Improving balance is a lot like learning to play an | | | | needed to move the arms around. This causes |
| instrument. Practice makes perfect. The more | | | | your center of gravity to shift slightly. All these |
| you train your balance, the better. Ideally, you | | | | muscles are working together under the direction |
| would do balance exercises every day. If that is | | | | of the brain to keep you in equilibrium. |
| not possible, that's okay. You can still see results | | | | |