There’s more to training than those flashy moments than sprinting on a treadmill. Keeping your balance with exercises such as standing on one foot and balancing while closing your eyes may not be the most exciting form of training, but sometimes it’s necessary — and it’s harder than you think.
Balance training helps people with knee replacements recover faster
Did you know that healthy people who go to the gym and do lower-body exercises can improve their balance to get better at single-leg exercises? You probably want to improve your balance If you participate in a sport like boxing that requires this skill. Good balance is also beneficial for people who have been injured and need to get back in shape. Balance training helps people with knee replacements recover faster and better showed a May 2018 study published in Gait & Posture.
Often, people who’ve had a stroke or a neurological disease like Parkinson’s disease need help with their balance. These populations can benefit from working on their balance and proprioception skills.
In order to prevent falls, older people should include some form of balance training in their fitness regime. You’re increasingly prone to tripping and falling at home or while walking in public as you age. It might seem minor, but falls can be catastrophic.
A good balance is of great help for older people
In fact, falls are the second-leading cause of accidental death worldwide as reported by the World Health Organization. Adults over the age of 65 are particularly prone to accidental falls. Even a small trip at home can cause a broken bone, infection or concussion and should be avoided at all costs. To help prevent injury or even death, work on your balance.
The next step is to figure out how to train if you think balance training is important for you. Research on improving balance seems so inconclusive because there’s no readily available training program to improve your balance.
Balance exercises only improved balance in those specific movements, showed a March 2016 article published in Sports Medicine. You shouldn’t think of balance as one skill. As a matter of fact, you don’t need to train your balance directly to see improvements. Practicing yoga helped people over the age of 60 improve their balance, showed a January 2016 study published in Age and Ageing.
The weight room is still a viable option if you can’t see yourself in a yoga or tai chi class.
Researchers found there wasn’t much difference between the unstable and stable surface training group while unstable surfaces were supposed to help improve balance. These were the findings of a July 2019 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.
Virtual Reality can help you improve balance
According to a 2016 study published in Sports Medicine, using virtual reality goggles for training sessions has been shown to improve balance in older populations. You should set aside time in your workouts specifically for that purpose if you really want to improve your balance. Traditional training is always the best choice.
