Stability balls and boards help with balance training

Work on your balance by incorporating stability tools such as rocker and wobble boards to help give your smaller muscles a healthy workout.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE — Balance is such a fundamental part of each movement that it hurts — sometimes literally — when it's gone. But to strengthen our balance, especially as we age, it turns out we do need to lose it. Or at least test it a little.

Kids do this naturally by walking, running on or scrambling up the most precarious surfaces they can find. Adults might be better off trying balance training, which can involve using unstable equipment, such as BOSU balance trainers, wobble boards, rockers and stability disks.

More than 90 percent of personal trainers now incorporate balance-training tools, according to an industry survey. But teetering on unstable surfaces isn't just fun and different. It forces you to activate the smaller, stabilizing muscles in knees, ankles and hips that don't necessarily get a workout when you're on solid ground.

“The stronger the stabilizers are, the better your result with any fitness quest, whether it's running or lifting weights,” professor of exercise science at the Human Performance Laboratory at Auburn University Michele Olson said.

For older adults, balance training can help reduce the risk of falls and shattered bones. It's also used for rehabilitation and to help children with sensory integration or attention-deficit disorders.

Still, while balance training has a place, it's often overused, Jay Dawes, education director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association said.

“When picking a training program, think about how it will transfer to your daily life,” Dawes said. If you're not a circus performer or Olympic skier, the benefits might not be as great as you think, Dawes said.

To add some healthy instability to your life, stand on one leg for 30 seconds and close your eyes. Or, step on one of the following boards and try to keep the edges from touching the ground. Start with 15 to 30 seconds, two to three times a week and work your way up to 30 seconds to a minute.

Title: Stability balls and boards help with balance training
Author: Julie Deardorff, MCT Campus
URL:http://www.thedailyaztec.com/features/health-fitness/stability-balls-and-boards-help-with-balance-training-1.1872115
Date Accessed: September 16, 2009
Not quoted in entirety.

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