Balance Exercise Balls: Eco Friendly Balance Balls

One of the best ways to work on your balance skills is to use a balance ball. You’ve seen them in your gym but probably aren’t sure exactly how to use them.

We’ve found a source for eco friendly balance balls that are made from non toxic and ph-thalate free materials that are safer for the user and the environment.

These balance balls come with a workout DVD, exercise chart to show you the beginning positions, and a fast pump to hand inflate the ball.

You often see this equipment used in a pilates class, yoga, or abdominal classes. They are ideal for home use and will help creat a long, lean posture that is ideal for maintaining or improving your balance skills.

Improve Your Balance: The Top Five Exercises

As we age, one of the most common physical skills that deteriorates is our balance. It doesn’t have to be that way though. If you do certain simple exercises, you can maintain your balance skills for a lifetime. Here are the five best exercises to improve balance…

Yoga

You may think yoga is just stretching and mind relaxation, but it is much more than that.

First of all, stretching is very good for your balance. The more limber and flexible you are, the easier it becomes for your body to work in harmony, so to speak. Your physical balance is a function of your mind and body working together. This is the core principle of yoga.

Further, yoga is low impact, which is great if your knees, ankles, and other joints have taken a pounding over the years.

Pilates

Pilates is similar to yoga since it is equally low impact and emphasizes flexibility. Pilates goes one better by specifically targeting the core muscles, which are crucial for balance.

If you’ve never participated in a pilates class, you will be amazed at how difficult they are. You will work on muscles in an entirely different way, most notably your abdominals. Many of the moves in class are quite simple. There is no fancy choreography, but the moves take practice and effort. The emphasis on your core and holding your body still will improve your balance skills by leaps and bounds.

Balance Boards

Balance boards are probably the best exercise to improve balance. They are often used by those who participate in board sports, like skiing, surfing, and skate boarding.

Essentially, standing on a balance board simulates the activity of these sports. Usually the board looks like a small surf board with an attached heavy duty ball on the bottom.

The goal is to stand atop the board and maintain your balance. The trick is to keep your upper body still while relying on your core and leg muscles to do the work.

One Legged Alternating Stands

This is an effective exercise you can do at home. Try it while looking in a mirror. Just stand alternatively on one leg and then the other. In fitness classes, instructors will sometimes direct you to pick up and set down a small hand weight while balancing on one leg, which challenges your balance even more.

Try it for 30 seconds at a time on each leg, and steadily increase the time as your balance improves.

Fitball Balance Discs

This is another excellent piece of fitness equipment. Similar to a balance board conceptually, the goal is to remain atop the disc while maintaining your balance.

The fitball balance disc is flat on the bottom and spherical on top. You can use it either standing or while laying across the top, which is similar to a pilates move. In addition to helping your balance, using a fitball balance disc does a great job strengthening and toning your mid section.

Summary

You don’t have to lose your physical balance skills as you age. The best way to combat loss of balance is to participate in specific exercises to improve your skill level.

Group fitness classes like yoga and pilates are ideal, as they emphasize core muscles and flexibility. Specific fitness equipment like balance boards and fitball balance discs simulate board sports and provide a challenging test of your ability to stay on top without stepping off.

Finally, simple alternating one legged stands are a low tech but effective way to work on this crucial life skill.