why is balancing important
The importance of balance in individuals of all activity levels cannot be stressed enough.Balance is defined as the body’s ability to maintain its center of mass over the base of support. More importantly, it is the body’s ability to do this during movement. In dynamic exercises and movements, such as sport, balance plays a key role. Balance training is common to incorporate into almost any rehabilitation or activity program. Studies have established that common goals of balance training include improving postural control and injury prevention for athletes of any age at any level.
The American Heart Association classifies balance as one of the four types of exercise that should be completed by all. I like to recommend all individuals, unless otherwise instructed by a primary care physician, to incorporate balance into every day activity.
A not so well-known benefit of balance is the positive relationship it has with mental health. The symbiotic relationship between these two means that improved balance may help with mental health, and a good level of mental health helps to achieve good balance. The way these two interact is due to the fact that balance and mental health are both affected by many moving parts. Activities such as Tai Chi are being studied as methods to improve mental health and physical balance since it requires the use of mind and body concurrently.
How Does Balance Work?
Balance is maintained by the coordination of multiple systems in the body working together. These include vestibular, visual, and somatosensory (proprioceptive) input. The vestibular system refers to how the inner ear works to improve balance. Nerve receptors located in the inner ear are sensitive to movements of the head. The visual system plays a key role in balance so that you can see the adjustments you must make. Continuous input provided by these systems allows for efficient postural balance. When working together, these systems can react to changes in the environment that may alter balance. For a more in-depth understanding of how balance works, take a look at How Does Balance Work?
Sports medicine professionals often discuss the importance of balance when it comes to “proprioception.” Proprioception is the body’s ability to sense limb and joint movement in space. Proprioceptive exercises such as balance training have been proven many times to decrease risk of injury. Specifically in terms of chronic ankle sprains, balance exercises used in rehabilitation regimens decrease the time it takes to return to play and prevent re-injury.
Balance in Sport and Fitness
Understanding the necessity for balance in daily life is essential. Taking it a step further, let’s discuss the importance of balance in sport and fitness at all levels. Take a moment to think about how frequently single leg balance is required during activity. Walking, running, lifting, and so much more require an individual to balance almost constantly. For individuals of all activity levels, the ability to balance efficiently can help greatly. Additionally, improved balance relates to reaction time.
Reaction time is a huge component of sport and fitness. In some competitions, minimal reaction time is the difference between champions and runner-ups. However, at all levels, a better reaction time means improvements overall and a decrease in risk of injury. Think about baseball; quick reaction time of reading a ball off the bat can be the difference between a ball to the face and a ball in the glove. In lifting or other exercises, reaction time to perturbations can mean the difference between injury and non-injury.
Balance Exercises
Balance exercises should be completed in a controlled environment. When first beginning, make sure you have something nearby to hold onto just in case. As with all exercises, it is best to begin with a simpler version and then make it difficult.
Balance exercises are great because they can be completed with or without equipment. For example, if standing in line for something, balance exercises can be completed by simply standing on one leg. Once this becomes too simple, you can complete balance with a knee drive, leg abduction, or standing reach. Another great way to make it slightly more difficult to toss a ball while balancing. This can either be done with someone, or you can toss a ball off of a wall. Remember that any balance exercise can be made more difficult simply by closing your eyes. It is recommended to do this only in a safe area to limit injury risk.
Balance Boards and Balance
The wonderful thing about incorporating a Balance Board into your exercise regime is that it consistently challenges and trains balance. The FIT makes every exercise more challenging in many ways, especially in balance and core control. Since balance and core stability are huge contributors in injury prevention, this tool is one of the best.
The FOCUS Standing Desk balance board can even help you train balance while at work. Not only does the use of the FOCUS help increase productivity and train core stability, but it also helps you train balance. Talk about multi-tasking!
Takeaways
The importance of balance goes beyond the short term. Active individuals of any age benefit from training balance. Through training balance we can improve reaction time, decrease risk of injury, and overall improve athletic performance. It is important to realize that these benefits go beyond the near future. Studies have shown that following a bout of balance training, results can be maintained. Furthermore, postural balance and balance training help to improve motor performance in athletics and activity overall.
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