“Every morning after I feed the chickens, I get my hose and spray off the bottoms of my rubber boots,” Alfonse shared while conducting a single-leg exercise during one of his training sessions. “I practice this daily to test my balance,” he said as he wobbled and corrected his balance throughout the coordination and balance exercise I was coaching him through. As he corrected his movements while being on one leg to ensure he didn’t topple over, he continued to share his balance-based experience he conducts every morning, “I lift my foot behind me, stand on one leg, then point the hose toward the bottom of my foot and spray off the debris that gets stuck on my foot from the bottom of the chicken coop.”
Alfonse does this every day as part of his morning routine. Not only does he participate in a ritual to take care of his beloved flightless avian friends, but he is also making a ritual to conduct a form of balance training that he may not necessarily consider a form of exercise that keeps him coordinated, strong, and able to function optimally in situations that introduce presentations of imbalance.
Balance is among the top themes of human performance that support a happy, productive, and fulfilling life. Conducting dynamic activities that require changes of direction, getting up and down from the ground or a seated position, or turning one’s head to prepare for a potential threat are abilities that help us live longer and function effectively in our everyday lives. The list of benefits of optimal balance can fill the pages of books on library shelves and produce an innumerable number of pages in peer-reviewed journals. It should go without saying that balance is critically important to our everyday lives.
Similar to the vast list of benefits supported by research comparing individuals with optimal balance versus those with poor balance, there is no shortage of resources to help people conduct balance-based exercises. Pilates and Yoga classes, personal training services, and a slew of exercise-based videos are available on any streaming device and social media platform. One would think that we should all be able to move like Mikhail Baryshnikov given the available knowledge. So, why aren’t people practicing their balance more often if it’s no secret that possessing optimal balance helps us live longer?
A few obstacles impeding the general population’s adherence to exercise might include availability, discipline, and mental capacity. The demands of our lives to be successful at our jobs, in our interpersonal relationships, and to engage in social interaction require a lot of time and usually take priority in our lives over exercise. The order of operations in prioritizing professional and family interactions before exercise time can seem more desirable and fulfilling than setting aside time for a gym visit, attending a yoga or Pilates class, or reserving an appointment with your favorite personal trainer. It’s easy to see how exercise can take a back seat after the need to make money, spend time with loved ones, and relax. Therefore, exercise can seem like work, a chore, or a mind-numbing wait in line at the DMV. A way to counteract this and develop small, steady “IV-like” drips of refining balance and fitness variables is to make a little game out of it.
Mini games of balance throughout the day can be engaging, entertaining, and rewarding. If we look at Alphonze, he’s already facing a balance challenge during his chicken care routine. He knows it’s a challenge to bend his knee, balance on one leg, turn his head and look behind, then spray off the soles of his feet. This is a test for his balance, coordination, and multitasking ability. Combining multiple actions while performing muscular contractions and balance on one lower extremity produces a tremendous amount of neuromuscular interactions, induces the proprioceptive cells to react to corrections of imbalances, and engages the mind to make immediate decisions to either stay upright or get out of an uncomfortable situation that might end in falling over.
Incorporating small challenges of balance throughout everyday life plays a pivotal role in refining strength, injury prevention, and coordination. An example might include putting socks on your feet without sitting down, such as kneeling down to put on a sock or lifting one foot up from a standing position to pull a sock over the foot. Another example might include taking the stairs a few times a day rather than using a wheelchair ramp, an escalator, or an elevator. If these small tests of balance are considered mini games throughout the day and can be accomplished, we get little wins that only take a few seconds to complete. These little wins play a significant role in improving everyday function, including balance and coordination.
It’s pretty much guaranteed that a thirty- to forty-five-minute exercise routine consisting of a full-body strength and conditioning plan refines fitness levels. However, let’s not forget how much value daily habits and rituals of testing our balance can be to enhancing our overall quality of life.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.