Functional Fitness: Balance

Always incorporate BALANCE exercises into your workout regime.  Even if there’s just one balance exercise in your program.  This will help strengthen your stabilizers.  As we get older, one of the first things that diminishes is our ability to balance.  Balance is very important, we don’t want to have that fear of falling and breaking a hip or a wrist.  Balance exercises are important no matter how old you are. 

Having strong stabilizers also ensures that you’re executing your exercises effectively.  For example, a walking lunge requires you to work your primary muscles groups which are the hamstring and glute muscles.  However, if your stabilizing muscles are not strong, you will have a hard time performing the walking lunge.  You need to have strong stabilizers to perform the walking lunge properly and to allow the hamstring and glute muscles to do their jobs effectively.

Here is a helpful 5 minute video on balance from ACE Fitness to learn more: