Life is one big balancing act. We juggle family, work, household projects, volunteering, social commitments, exercising, and anything else we get involved in. This post isn't about that kind of balancing act, but literally about having physical balance: being able to stand on one leg without falling over or wobbling all over the place...being steady in unsteady situations. Most people don't specifically work on balance. You should, especially as you age-- you lose your balance and have a greater chance of falling!
Many people have weak ankles and knees and balance training can strengthen all of those muscles around those joints. You can see a huge difference in your balance if you make a point of working on it even for a month. You'll become steadier in your every day movements. How do you balance train? Create controlled unsteady situations in your workouts. Stand on one foot while doing upper body work. Stand on a BOSU. (The half-dome apparatus) Single leg squats are also a fantastic balance and strength exercise.
I have a good story in regard to balance (or lack of it): There are two guys at my gym that I see regularly. They always work out together. We happened to be performing single-arm dumbbell rows next to each other the other day. They were anchored on a bench with one knee and one hand and a foot on the ground. I, on the other hand, was doing it standing on one foot. Same movement, but no anchor, just pure balance. (We were basically rowing the same dumbbell weight!) I challenged them to do the single leg stance like I was. They were good sports and accepted the challenge with a small chuckle and a "my balance isn't so good..." comment.
What happened? It wasn't pretty. Barely able to stand still on one leg, they teetered and tottered either trying not to drop the weight or rowing as fast as possible with poor form so they could finish the set and put their other foot down. (In reality, there are other progressions between what they were doing with the bench and what I was doing on one foot.) Honestly, I wasn't showing off, but wanted to show them that they should add balance training to their workouts. I didn't laugh, but I pointed out that you can be the strongest person in the world and have poor balance.
Diversify your fitness routine and find your balance.
