I was walking laps at the mall this morning and saw a woman standing on one foot and tying her other shoe while riding on an escalator. That’s balance…
Around the first of the year I started standing on one foot while brushing my teeth. I can stand on my right foot for the whole 2 minutes now, I’m lucky to stay on my left for more than a minute. I think that might have to do with the 2 surgeries I have had on my left knee.
Coincidentally, last night my personal trainer had me do a new-to-me balance excercise: I had to stand on one leg for as long as I could with my eyes closed. The goal was to be able to do it for 5 seconds, 5 consecutive times on each leg. I always had to start with my eyes open: it was amazing the difference that closing them made! My trainer said we (sighted people) don’t realize the extent to which we rely on visual cues for our balance. I was able to do it once or twice by picturing the floor in my mind, but overall I couldn’t really do it. Even my trainer struggled with it while demonstrating. It’s something I can see trying to do at home from time to time, though.
NY Times: Can You Pass the 10-Second Balance Test?
Shite.
I don’t sign up for that sort of thing, can you please tell us what the test is asking?
Gift link:
Thank you so much!
I started taking Tai chi classes last January and they have really helped my general health as well as my balance. The instructor has helped me to realize how important doing regular stretching and balance exercises are.
I can now get up off the floor unaided by human or objects. I never thought that would happen again but here I am!
I’m not sure I was ever able to do this well in my athletic prime. Between neuropathy in my feet and weak ankles it’s a struggle. Part of it is knowing how to lean so as to limit how much muscle is needed to maintain a particular pose. It was a non-starter until I tried different leaning angles.
Had another PT session for balance today, and it was mostly about building lower body/core strength, as well as some seemingly simple balance exercises that worked damn near my whole body.
Yeah, I’ve been working on my core too. With every weight lift I ‘set’ the muscles down there, they say it will help!
The exercises I do require a lot of shifting weight from one foot to the other, and I also have a wobble board for my standing desk at work, so my balance is pretty good.
Improving your balance makes you less likely to fall. Reducing your chances of falling may well extend your lifespan.
(Being more fit may also do so, of course.)
My balance is fine but I only turned 47 earlier this week, so I think that’s to be expected.
One of the most depressing things my mom ever told me about aging was, after seeing me putting on my shoe while standing on one foot, is “Wow, you can still do that standing? It sucks when you eventually need to sit down to get your shoes on.”
I was maybe 38 at the time, and I felt that I was being pretty stoic about aging, but that, that’s just too far. Fortunately, that day she predicted hasn’t come yet.
Wait, you have a toothbrush with 30-second indicators? What’s the brand?
I’m not @wguy123 , but at least some models of Sonicare brand have that feature.
Thanks.
Mine has that feature and it is an Oral B.
Consumer Reports on electric toothbrushes:
Mine is a less fancy, not bluetoothed (
) to my phone more basic model which I got for $40 at cost from my dental college. Even their more bare bones model has this feature. Mine vibrates every 30 seconds (for the 4 quarters of your mouth) and then give a longer vibration and light flashes at two minutes. Very handy.
Yep. That’s what we have.
Thanks, guys.