Expert Advice

The Benefits of Balance Training

Maintaining a positive attitude can counteract race-day jitters.

Though not included in the “usual” exercise guidelines, balance training can do a lot to help improve stability, agility, leg strength, and core strength.

Ways to work balance exercise into everyday life

The basic idea behind balance training is to stabilize the body under increasingly difficult circumstances — for example, balancing on one leg first on a flat surface, then on a wobble board, and eventually on a wobble board while catching a ball. You can start your own balance training with this simple routine:

  1. Stand on one leg on a wood floor or other hard surface for 30 seconds. (You may want to stand in a doorway or near a table, in case you need to stabilize yourself at any point.) Repeat using the other leg. When you can do this without touching the doorframe or table, go to step 2.

  2. Stand on one leg for 30 seconds, then on the other, with your eyes closed — again, don't hold onto anything. After you've accomplished that, go to step 3.

  3. Place an old foam pillow on the floor. (Foam is better than feathers because feathers pack down. Foam has some spring to it.) Stand on the pillow on one leg for 30 seconds; switch legs and repeat. Then do the same exercises with your eyes closed.

  4. Do the above pillow exercise on tiptoe. Stand on one leg, then on the other, for 30 seconds — first with your eyes open, then with them closed.

Here are some other simple ways to fit balance training into your daily routine.

  • Stand on one leg whenever you're waiting in line at the theater, bank, or grocery store.

  • Stand on one leg while brushing your teeth: one minute on one leg while brushing the upper teeth, and another minute on the other leg while brushing the lower teeth.

  • Use a wobble board; stand on it periodically during the day, e.g. whenever you're on the phone.

  • Practice sitting down and getting up from a chair without using your hands.

  • Practice walking heel to toe — that is, like a tightrope walker, placing the heel of one foot just in front of the toes of the opposite foot each time you take a step.

These exercises will not only help improve your overall balance, they can strengthen your ankles and help reduce knee and hip pain.