As a group fitness instructor, avid outdoors woman, and long-distance runner for over a decade, I have tried almost every trick in the book to be better, faster, and stronger. Let’s talk about balance today. Have you ever felt super wobbly or unsure of your footing? Do you struggle to put on your leggings that you plan to just wear around the house? Oh, is that just me? I wear my active wear all the time. There is a YouTube video about people like me doing grocery shopping in my active wear. It is funny, I recommend it. But I am already digressing, please excuse me while I get it together.
Balance doesn’t just apply to tight rope walkers, trail runners, or ice skaters. Everyone, and I mean everyone, should be doing things to improve their balance. As we age, we start to lose that natural balance and are prone to falling more. The older we get, the more likely of broken bones or other injuries.
So, now you know why balance is so important, but how do you improve it? It is actually easier than you think. You don’t need to go do tons of Yoga or tight rope walking. Though, I do recommend Yoga, maybe not the tight rope walking. But there is fairly easy exercise you can do around your house without any equipment to improve your balance.
Remember how I recommend doing calf raises while you brush your teeth? Well, I don’t know that I would do 2 minutes of them twice a day. I would add in some balance too! Do the calves at night and balance in the morning.
Why doing balance in the morning is good: You wake up your core muscles which are a key component to balance. Once those are awake and working they automatically increase your balance. So, here are a few of the balance exercises I started a few years back.
After I tore my lumbar support muscle in my back (stress from my job) I only could do some workouts until it healed. One of those was balance work. It was so important to increase my balance and strengthen my core and booty. My absolute favorite balance work to do is stand with one foot firmly planted on the floor. Don’t be all willy nilly with that foot. Lift your other foot off the ground and hold it there. Squeeze your booty and imagine your belly button pulls into your spine. But don’t hold your breath. Continue to breath. Hold that balance position for 30 seconds and then switch feet. Do this exercise twice on each side. Boom, now you’re done brushing your teeth and you’ve done 2 minutes of balance work.
You can start out with your foot low to the ground if you’re feeling wobbly. Make sure to have a wall or a chair nearby in-case you need some extra support. As you get stronger and more balanced, lift the foot higher until you’re at 90 degrees with your knee.
Great, now you’ve mastered that. Try closing your eyes while you do it. Our eyes tell us where our bodies are and what our bodies are doing. So, when you close your eyes you lose those visual cues. Your body has to figure it out without the eye signals. But don’t fret, this can be mastered too. In no time you’ll be bouncing from rock to rock on the trail.
This one is so good for the core, which also includes your back. Start with both feet planted under your hips with your arms up and over your head. Hinge forward slightly at your waist, not belly button. No hunching. You should have a long straight line from your head to your tail bone. Now lift one foot backward so you’re balanced on the other foot. It should look like a Y with a kickstand. Now hold that position for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side. Once you’ve got it down let’s add some movement into it. That foot that’s not planted, bend your knee and move that knee until it’s at 90 degrees at the front of your body. Take your hands down and touch the knee then return to start. This one you can’t really do while you brush your teeth, but you could do it after for 2 minutes.
Want to know a little secret? That Y balance move is a P90X move. It’s a great balance, core, ankle, and strengthening move you can do with or without equipment. I always recommend starting out without the equipment and working your way up. Too much too quick can injure or burn you out.
Now that you’ve mastered the knee at 90 and the Y balance, you’re ready for something a little more advanced. Grab that bosu ball that you used during those ankle strengthening moves. Climb on top of it with your feet under your hips or slightly wider than your hips. Pull that belly button in without holding your breath and squeeze your booty. Try to do a squat but make sure you positioned yourself near a wall so you don’t fall if you lose your balance. Once you’re confident, add in a weight if you want.
Super advanced move: Single leg balance on the bosu. Do not try this without a wall nearby. And do not try it until you can successfully do squats on the bosu ball. No injuries please! That’s what we’re working to prevent.
Okay, now how does all of this actually help? You’re not only working stabilizing muscles that will help you put on those leggings or bounce from rock to rock on the trail, you’re also working your core. When you have a strong core and strong balance, you’re less likely to fall. When you are trail running, this makes it so you can move faster with confidence on uneven terrain. Cross training is so important, and balance is one way to do that cross training.
Only a few minutes a day will help your balance tremendously.
Keep your eyes peeled for tips on strengthening your core without doing sit ups or planks. Maybe some planks, but not the boring lose your mind kind of planks.
Trail Running and Wellness 