The Best Balance Exercise Equipment
Maintaining and improving your physical balance skills is important no matter your age.
For athletes, your ability to balance is crucial for excelling in your sport. Skiing, board sports, football, tennis, and hockey are just a few sports where balance plays a key role in your success.
For seniors, preventing falls is a major concern as we age. Balance skills tend to diminish, mostly from lack of practice. And make no mistake, balance is a skill!
As we become more sedentary, we tend to use our physical abilities less and less. Unfortunately, your ability to balance and be stable on your feet will suffer. It’s very much akin to the “use it or lose” it mantra. In order to maintain or improve your balance, you need to practice the skill until it is functioning at top form.
Fortunately, there are two pieces of easy to use exercise equipment that are designed specifically to improve your ability to balance. Let’s take a closer look at each …
Fitball Balance Discs
The first piece of fitness equipment is the fitball balance disc.
Fitball balance discs are relatively small devices, with most just over twelve inches in diameter. They are flat on the bottom but slightly oval on top, with a durable coating to support your weight.
The disc has a certain amount of pliability or “give” to it, meaning when you stand atop the disc, you aren’t stable. Maintaining your equilibrium on the disc is what helps you train your brain and muscles to balance. (click the banner below to see a fitball balance disc and learn more)
Essentially, you are working your core muscles, which are crucial for stability. Even a brief session atop a Fitball balance disc will engage your leg and core muscles in challenging fashion.
The beauty of this portable, inexpensive piece of equipment is its versatility. You can use it while standing, sitting, or kneeling. Go ahead, try to sit atop the disc and see if you can stay in balance. Initially, it’s difficult!
Some group fitness classes incorporate the disc into their workouts. It can be used in place of a step platform or in pilates as a method to target core muscles.
One additional benefit is improved posture. Working on your balance forces you to use your leg and core muscles while keeping your torso relatively still and quiet. This teaches you to stand erect, thereby having a direct positive effect on your posture.
Balance Boards
Balance boards are probably the most popular and effective pieces of exercise equipment for balance skills.
They actually look like a small surfboard or snowboard, which is one reason why they are so often used by skiers and surfers. The board itself is mounted atop a sturdy roller or ball shaped cylinder, thereby creating an unsteady surface on which to balance. (click the green banner to see exactly what they look like)
Balance boards are challenging, but they’re actually quite fun! The goal is to remain atop the board for progressively longer periods of time, say three minutes and then increasing to four or five.
Insider Tip … the trick is to keep your upper body still and use your leg muscles to stay in balance. A balance board is not only great physical and balance training, but it’s great brain training as well. In effect, you are training your brain to perform a physical skill, an element that is often overlooked in physical training.
Summary
If you want to improve your balance fast and are willing to invest in an inexpensive yet durable piece of exercise equipment, a fitball balance discs and balance boards will suit your needs. Both are small, so there are no space considerations to worry about, and the cost is generally nominal.
If you practice on either, you will notice significant improvement in your ability to balance in seven days or less!
