When people train at the gym, they often focus on cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility. While these are indeed three key components to fitness, there is a fourth leg holding up the fitness table that might be missing — balance.

That’s right, balance is a fundamental part of fitness, too, and it’s often the most neglected. That’s probably because most people don’t understand how important balance is, both inside and outside the gym. Balance is a skill we must master early in life and maintain throughout our older years if we want to remain healthy, active, and independent. As babies, we learn to balance ourselves on two feet in order to walk. Once we get the hang of that skill, we are able to move freely. The importance of balance really doesn’t change as we get older, as good balance helps us sustain the ability to move around, work, shop, travel, take care of ourselves, our loved ones, and our homes … the list is endless. However, like every other area of fitness, balance is a “use it or lose it” ability. That means it’s important to incorporate balance training into your workout to prolong your freedom of movement and prevent injury.

At Adventure Fitness Athletic Club, our Thornton gym offers several workouts and classes that allow you to practice and preserve your balance. Read this blog to learn more about what balance is, what its benefits are, and some effective balance exercises you can incorporate into your workout program.

What Is Balance?

Balance is the ability to maintain an upright, steady position. It allows us to control our bodies whether we’re stationary (standing in a yoga pose, for example) or moving (reaching forward, walking, jogging, biking, or skiing). Balancing in one place without movement is called “static balance” while balancing with movement is called “dynamic balance.”

Medically speaking, good balance depends on a complex interaction of several biological systems including the inner ears, eyes, feet, muscles, joints, brain, and spinal cord.

When it comes to balance, there are some things we can’t always control like involuntary movements, medical conditions, medication side effects, and age-related degeneration in the joints, eyes, and inner ears. We can, however, work to improve our focus, awareness, coordination, strength, agility, flexibility, and stability to maintain and improve our balance. These are some of the areas we target during balance training.

Why Is Balance Important at the Gym and Outside the Gym?

The importance of balance can’t be overstated. Even while you’re just standing on two feet, you’re depending on your ability to balance, although you’re probably not consciously aware of it. You also depend on balance in almost all other areas of your life, whether you’re reaching for an item on the shelf, climbing the stairs, or working to enhance your athletic performance. 

As we age, balance becomes even more important because of the increased risk of falling and fall-related injuries like broken bones and sprains. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every four older people (those age 65 and older) falls each year, and falling once doubles your chance of falling again. One out of five falls causes a serious injury such as a head injury or broken bone.

Here are some of the many benefits of balance training at our gym.

• Improved coordination — Balance training will show you how many different parts of your body work together to prevent you from stumbling and falling. You’ll achieve better coordination with balance training that you can use in your athletic pursuits and everyday life.
• Improved joint stability — Balance training stretches and strengthens the muscles around your joints including your ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders. This stabilizes your joints and helps to prevent chronic pain and injuries.
• Better awareness of your body — Balance training improves your bodily awareness, which is your sense of how your limbs are oriented in space. This is also known as “proprioception.” Better bodily awareness reduces clumsiness and decreases the likelihood of injury.
• Faster reaction time — Balance training can improve your reaction time. That means if you happen to stumble or slip, you’ll be better prepared to re-balance quickly before falling. This will also improve your reaction time in other areas of your life.
• Reversal of age-related loss of balance — Did you know that the ability to stand on one leg is a critical predictor of longevity? Balance definitely deteriorates with age, but balance training staves off some of the balance issues we might experience as we get older. As previously discussed, balancing is a complex skill that depends on several systems like the brain, inner ears, and muscles to work together. Practicing balance can keep these systems working as if your body is much younger.
• Fall prevention — Balance training helps you control your limbs and core more deftly. Not only does this make your movements more fluid and elegant, but it also prevents falls and injuries. Good balance helps you to quickly adapt to changes in your body’s position. It also lets you adjust on the fly to variations under your feet, such as stepping on rocks you didn’t see (a wonderful skill to have with all the hiking we do on the hills and mountains around our Thornton gym!)
• Better posture — Balance training is excellent for your posture. Great balance requires great posture, so the more you train for good balance, the better your posture will naturally become.
• Faster recovery from injury — Many people who train regularly suffer injuries, often leg and ankle injuries. Research has shown that the more balance training you do, the faster you will recover from injuries. Balance training will also help you prevent injuries in the first place.
• Optimized workout time — When you’re doing weight training, you’re spending a good portion of your time sedentary as you wait for your muscles to recover from the previous set you just completed. You can use this down time to do balance drills, which are low-intensity and don’t interfere with muscle recovery.
• Improved running technique — Many people have poor running technique without even realizing it, which can result in all sorts of injuries. Balance training can give you a better understanding of your gait and center of gravity. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to make longer strides and reduce strain on your hips, legs, ankles, and core.
• Increased muscle strength — Balance training can strengthen your muscles and increase their output. Having better balance can improve your performance in virtually any sport, particularly those that call for powerful, short, and sharp movements.

How You Can Practice Balance at AFAC Gym in Thornton, CO

From our wide range of fitness classes to our diverse array of equipment, there are virtually endless opportunities to work on your balance training at AFAC gym.

• Working with a personal trainer — Our gym has several experienced and certified personal trainers on staff who can provide you with a customized program to improve your balance, as well as your aerobic endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility.
• Yoga – Practicing yoga is probably the most well-known and celebrated way to improve balance. Many different yoga poses have been scientifically proven to build better balance in participants.  AFAC holds several yoga classes throughout the week that are free to members of our gym.
• Power Plate – Power Plates have a flat surface that vibrates. When you exercise on a Power Plate, your body must continually work to balance and stabilize itself, making Power Plate workouts an ideal way to boost your balance training.
• Nordic Walking – Nordic Walking is an outdoor exercise that combines walking with specially designed poles that are similar to skiing poles. It takes a substantial amount of coordination and practice to perfect your Nordic Walking technique, which increases your focus and balance.
• Pickleball – This fun indoor game is a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. Your balance will definitely get a workout as you reach to hit the ball across the net.
• Kickboxing – As the name implies, kickboxing requires you to stand on one leg and kick, a move that involves a substantial amount of balance. The other footwork involved in kickboxing will also improve your coordination and balance.
• Barre Classes – Our Barre Classes teach you precision and balance through many controlled ballet-style movements including heel lifts, leg lifts, arabesque, plié, and passé.
• BOSU® Balls— These half-balls add the element of instability to your movements, making them perfect balance trainers.
• Deadlifting — Deadlifting is a type of free-weight strength training that requires a lot of balance to perform properly.
• Jacobs Ladder — Climbing Jacobs Ladder at our gym reinforces good balance and coordination while giving you a solid cardiovascular workout.
• Indoor Rock Wall Climbing — AFAC gym has The Cave and an auto-belay rock climbing wall, both of which will build your strength and balance as you reach for the next rock to ascend or descend.
• Slide Boards — Working out on a slide board is similar to skating across a slick surface, and you’ll need balance to maintain your form through each movement.
• Squats — Like walking, squatting is a fundamental movement that we learn as toddlers and use throughout our lives. Squatting also forces us to balance. Performing squats as part of your exercise routine will help you maintain that sense of balance as you age.

Other Ways You Can Practice Better Balance

When you’re not at the gym, there are several balance exercises you can try at home. Just make sure you complete all balance exercises in a controlled environment where you have something nearby (like a wall or the back of a chair) that you can hold onto, just in case.

An example of an at-home balance exercise is standing on one foot and moving your arms around. Once you’re able to do that comfortably, try standing on one foot and bending down to pick up something small in front of you, like your keys or a book. You can also do traditional lunges, burpees, and squats to test and gain your balance.

Get Better Balance at AFAC Gym Today

The team at Adventure Fitness Athletic Club is here to assist you as you work to achieve all your fitness goals, so please ask us for assistance when you’re ready to incorporate more balance training into your workouts. It’s just one more reason why we’re the best gym in the Thornton, Colorado, area. If you need assistance or have questions about balance training, please stop by and speak to us. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.

To read more articles from Adventure Fitness Athletic Club, check out our Adventure Corner blogs by clicking here.