Physical therapists use balance ball exercises to help patients with poor balance because exercise ball routines are both gentle and effective simultaneously. They are widely available, can be stored in a closet or room at home, are portable, and can be used for a wide variety of exercises that will improve your balance.
It's important to maintain your balance. Since our society is obsessed with exercise programs to make us look better, it's easy to forget about exercises designed to make us safer, such as exercises that improve our balance. As you get older, you will want to start doing exercises that improve your balance, making you less prone to falls and accidents. This also preserves your ability to perform well in sports and complete everyday activities, such as those that involve climbing up on ladders or dealing with heights.
The way to improve your balance is to improve your core strength and your flexibility. If your core muscles-abdominal muscles, back muscles, gluts and obliques-are strong, you will be able to maintain your balance even when in precarious situations or caught by surprise. If you are flexible, you will be able to handle being tossed off balance and regain balance before falling. The exercise ball can be used to accomplish both of these goals.
Try the following exercise ball exercises to improve your balance and flexibility:
Basic exercise ball balance exercise
The easiest way to use an exercise ball to improve your balance is to replace your office chair with your exercise ball for an hour each day. By sitting on your exercise ball while you pay bills or work at your computer, you'll naturally contract your abdominal muscles, oblique muscles, back muscles and glutes, improving your balance without feeling it. If you want to be more aggressive with your efforts, try sitting on the ball and rotating your hips clockwise, feeling the stress in your core muscles as you go through the rotation. Then rotate in the opposite direction, again engaging your core muscles as you finish the rotation. Make sure not to stress your spine too much.
Stabilization exercise ball exercise
Lie on the ball on your stomach. Find a point where you can balance on the ball, placing your weight primarily on the ball through your core, using your abdominal muscles to balance while your arms and legs can still touch the floor and act as balance points. Extend your left arm forward, stretching as far as you can. While your left arm is outstretched, extend your right leg behind you. Maintain your balance with your right hand and your left foot on the floor, but feel the stretch in your back muscles and your abdominals. Return your arm and foot to the floor, then extend the opposite arm and leg. This strengthens your back and abdominal muscles while also giving you a good stretch. It will not only improve your balance, but will prevent lower back injuries.
 | Building strength with core workouts stabilizes your torso, protects your spine, improves your balance and reduces the risk of lower back injury. |
 | An exercise ball workout forces you to engage multiple muscles in your core at once, increasing the effectiveness of your workout while decreasing the amount of time you need to work out if you targeted each core muscle independently. |
Core training is the latest rage in the fitness industry, but not many people really understand what it is. There are many misconceptions about what it is and how it works. People know that core training is smarter training, but they may not realize why that is. |
Exercise equipment comes in a large range of pieces for individuals to choose from. However, one of the most useful pieces of exercise equipment, the "exercise ball" is also one of the most simple. First introduced by a group of medical therapists who practiced in Switzerland, exercise balls, like other exercise equipment, are available in different sizes and a number of eye-catching colors. |
Whether you want to improve your balance or develop killer abdominal muscles, core strength training is your ticket to a stronger you. |
