Core strengthening and balance training are intimately related. You can't balance without good core strength, endurance and control. Balance becomes especially important as you get older. MedlinePlus recommends regular balance exercise for seniors to help reduce the risk of a serious fall. Regardless of age, the increased core strength and agility that comes from balance training will serve you well for avoiding falls, and during sports and during everyday activities.
Standing on One Leg
Just standing on one leg might be a challenge at first. All of your lower-body muscles and core must work together to keep you steady. Lift your free leg only slightly off the ground, and stand near a sturdy chair or wall you can hold onto for balance. As you gain balance and confidence, you can lift your fingers away from the support one by one until you're standing on your own, then lift your free leg higher. You can practice single-leg stands discreetly while standing in line at the grocery store or brushing your teeth.
Heel-toe Walk
Police officers use a heel-toe walk to test sobriety for the same reason heel-toe walks make good balance practice: Lining your feet up heel-to-toe forces you to balance on a very narrow, unstable center of balance. Place a line of tape on the floor to follow, and have someone else walk beside you, or walk beside the wall if you need extra support. As you gain strength and confidence, you can raise your back knee and balance on the front foot briefly before stepping forward, or practice with your eyes closed or while looking to one side, then the other.
Toe Stands
Once you've mastered standing on one leg, you can add extra difficulty -- and strengthen your calves -- by standing on the balls of your feet. Stand on both feet with a sturdy chair, wall or somebody strong for support. Gradually work up to standing on your own and then, as you're capable, try standing on the ball of just one foot. You can make this exercise harder by looking to the sides as you balance, extending your arms straight overhead instead of to the sides, and extending your raised leg in front of, behind, or to either side of you as you continue to balance.
Balancing on Wobble Boards
Balancing on a wobble board, balance disk, air pad or Bosu trainer challenges your core strength and stability. Consider this an advanced version of the single-leg stand and start with both feet on the wobble board until you're able to balance comfortably. Then shift your feet so that one foot is centered on the balance board, and practice standing on that single foot. If you're concerned about falling or just starting your balance training, this might not be the exercise for you. But if you find that you're comfortable balancing on the wobble board with both feet, you can also do standing weight exercises,such as lateral raises and shoulder presses, on the wobble board to challenge your balance and build more core strength.
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