Trying to Find a Balance

Balance is the most basic natural human movement skill. It is the first skill babies teach themselves. Firstly, we learn to crawl (which involves more balance than you would think if you have not tried it lately), and then comes walking. As we grow older, we begin to neglect our most basic skill and our ability slowly chips away by sitting at a desk or by simply living in a stable environment.

I see a lot of older clients who want to improve their balance; unfortunately, they usually wait until after there is an issue to fix it. Balance comes from putting yourself in an uncomfortable position every day. You can do this by challenging yourself in your current environment or by being in an unstable environment.

So how do I fix it?

First let’s understand what balance is:

“To be balanced, your bodyweight must be equally distributed over an imaginary line that extends vertically from your center of gravity (COG) to the surface of support and above or between the points of support holding the body on its SOS(surface of support). This imaginary line is called the “line of gravity.” “-Erwan le Corre

Essentially, Erwan is saying to upright and not lean to either side.

The Fix?

Balancing is the root and core of all movement and its basis is in posture. Good posture is the key to good balance.

While books have been written on posture, the only thing I want you to worry about is keeping a neutral spine.(See the man crossing the grand canyon above)

The ability to keep a neutral spine is fundamental in the ability to balance.

How do you keep a neutral spine?

1. Squeeze your Glutes- This sets your pelvic floor in the correct position. (Imagine there is a quarter in your butt and you don’t want it to fall out, or like you really don’t want to poop your pats)

2. Brace your abs- But only slightly as, I don’t want you to flex like its picture time. (Imagine bringing your belly button to your sphincter)

3. Roll your shoulders back and keep your head in proper position. (Imagine trying to bring your chin to the wall behind you, without tucking. Also, try to bring your shoulder blades down to your butt)

By doing this, your body weight will remain over your center of gravity and it will keep you balanced.

Try to maintain a neutral spine throughout your day and especially during exercise. It will help relieve any aches and pains from sitting at your desk as well as quickly improve your lifts.

The drill:

Standing on one foot for 30 seconds-

Progression- close your eyes

Single leg box squats 3x10