Balance is all about strength. It is not pure power, nor is it pure silence. It’s about having the tools to react and stay in your position when something inside or outside pops up to get you off track.
This attitude fits both literally and figuratively of finding balance in life. But today, we’re focusing on physical balance, which is really “a bunch of different variables that are orchestrated in the brain,” Lara Heimann, PT, previously told Well+Good. That means balance is your brain’s ability to synthesize information such as environmental and sensory cues that help you determine your body’s position in space (a concept called perceptualization). proprioception), then transmits that information to your muscles so you can keep yourself upright.
One way to improve balance is to work the muscle groups that are important in keeping you on the ground, including your feet and ankles, calves, and glutes. East River Pilates Pilates instructor Brian Spencer is here to guide you through a 12-minute balance-building routine that focuses on these often overlooked areas. That involves focusing on where you put your weight on your feet so you can engage the small muscles in your feet and ankles while also mobilizing the larger muscles that support them.
“If you’ve ever wondered, How can I really help keep my balance?, a lot of times it’s by strengthening all the muscle groups that help you support the weight in the back. feet like a squat and in front of the feet. , like your calves,” says Spencer.
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The bread and butter moves he builds on in this series are squats, calf raises, and one-leg standing poses. That sounds simple enough, but Spencer puts them together in a special way that tests both your strength and your balance.
“Balance is all about adjustment,” says Spencer. “Not necessarily never wavering. It’s always like, How do I correct myself when I’ve gone a little off track?” Words of wisdom to remember for exercise and for life. We hope taking time for yourself to do this routine helps you find a little more balance in the two.
