Components of Balance

As we age our balance tends to get worse and worse until we experience a fall and then decide to do something about it. Rate of death goes up significantly when an elderly person falls and a little work daily can not only prevent falls, but increase their independence and quality of life. Balance training is simple, can be trained anywhere, and is beneficial especially for athletes and seniors. 

Use it or Lose it

Everything in your body is maintained on a “use it or lose it” basis. As we leave our young adult years our life tends to lead us to have less intentional exercise as we take on more work and family responsibilities. As we exercise less, and spend more time in chairs, couches and walking on even surfaces our body doesn’t need to retain the same ability to balance and over years balance deteriorates. There is some balance that will be lost with age, but like anything else it is amazing how much of it can be retained or regained through diligent effort. The following is a description of each of the 3 components of balance with a description of how to improve each system. 

Make sure that you have adequate support for each exercise to prevent falls while exercising

Vestibular System (Ears)

In addition to letting us hear, your ears have a section dedicated to balance. You have 3 tubes in your ear with an air bubble inside, just like a construction level, that lets your brain know where up is. This system takes over when your eyes are closed, which is the best way to train it. Start with your feet together and a chair in front of you to catch yourself if necessary, close your eyes and balance. Then try the same exercise on one foot. Finally, start adding uneven surfaces like a towel or pillow under your feet. 

Righting Reflex (Eyes)

Your eyes and ears work together to keep your eyes level with the horizon. You notice that when you close your eyes, balancing tends to get very difficult. The best way to improve the function of this system is actually to get or wear corrective lenses if you need them, or make sure that there is sufficient light when you are walking.

Proprioceptive System (Positional Awareness)

Your body has sensors in every muscle and joint so that you can know where every part of your body is without having to look. If you close your eyes and wiggle your fingers your senses will be flooded with information of where your fingers are located in space. You can train this sense by closing your eyes and trying to move in a very specific manner, but the funnest way to train it is in sports. Sports requiring precise motion and coordination like dance and martial arts are best, but any sport will improve balance.

Be patient with yourself. A gymnast didn’t learn to do a cartwheel on a balance beam in a day, and it takes time and repeated failures before your body will show noticeable improvement in its ability to balance. A little effort (10-20 minutes) every day will yield the fastest results. Training daily, you can expect to see some improvement within a week.

Photo by Sebastian Voortman