“Working toward balance takes a lot of ingredients. We need courage, reflection, attention, action, and a push-and-pull relationship between effort and relaxation.” -Tara Stiles
Energy Matters, LLC. has been exploring products to improve your energy and your health. Next up is a trend that has been going viral on social media—the Balance Board. Despite the simple design, there are numerous benefits to using a balance board, and not all of them are strictly fitness-related. Regular sessions with a balance board may boost brain functioning, enhance your posture, exert less energy, and reduce your risk of injury.
According to Harvard Health, “Balance training helps reduce the risk of falls in older adults with balance problems and women with low bone mass. It also improves postural stability after a stroke.” This makes the balance board an excellent tool for rehabilitation because it is simple to use and super effective in targeting muscles that are largely unused in daily life.
Balance boards are seeing a surge of popularity among professional trainers and athletes as well as physical therapists. Let’s explore the top seven benefits of using a balance board so you can decide if this type of training is right for you.
Balance
Balance boards are great for beginners. Regular balance board training may dramatically improve your balance. The trick is to begin with simple, basic exercises before moving on to more difficult ones. The Balance Board is specially designed to be safe, stable and slip-proof, making it super user friendly. If you are concerned with falling, enlist the help of a trainer, or position the board near a wall or table so you have something to hold on to while you get your bearings.
Core Stabilization
Your core consists of a network of muscles that weave their way from your lower neck down to your hips. They also involve your shoulders, back, and abdominals. Your core is tasked with stabilizing and protecting your spinal column while also lending support to your torso.
Nearly every body movement relies on your core. Balance training stabilizes your core through small yet efficient exercises.
Strength
The third benefit of balance board training is overall strength improvement. This type of training also works smaller muscles known as stabilizers. While not as showy or familiar as the main muscles of your body, these stabilizers provide essential support. Research confirms that balance board training may increase your overall strength while naturally remedying any muscular imbalance.
Posture
Poor posture is often associated with poor mobility as we age, and it is a growing problem. We typically spend a lot of time seated and hunched over electronic devices. In addition to impacting your health and potentially causing chronic back pain, this hunching may lead to rounding of the spine or drooping of the shoulders. Use a balance board to counteract the effects of all this hunching by strengthening the muscles that stabilize your torso for good proprioception.
Injury Prevention and Recovery
Though injuries can occur in many different ways, most slips, trips, and exercise-related injuries are caused by poor balance, coordination, or core strength. Fortunately, a few minutes a day on a balance board can simultaneously improve all three of these problems. Strengthening your core also reduces the strain placed on limbs and extremities, protecting your entire body from strains or tears.
Meanwhile, this type of training also improves your spatial awareness. If you consider yourself clumsy or accident prone, balance training may help you learn to adjust your body more quickly and more effectively, preventing a potential injury next time you are about to trip.
Brain Function
One of the biggest non-physical benefits of a balance board is the way this training improves brain function. Using a balance board requires you to focus in the moment, essentially training your brain to become more aware and alert. Research shows that individuals that engage in balance training are better equipped to learn new skills and information. Scientists theorize that this improvement occurs because balancing continuously syncs your body and mind, developing more efficient neural networking.
Coordination
The seventh benefit of balance training is whole-body coordination. Even if you aren’t a professional athlete, improved coordination can help you move more gracefully and avoid injury. The constant interplay between body and mind improves your balance, your agility, and your ability to quickly transition from one position to another more efficiently. When you move more efficiently, you use up less energy, so you can stay active longer without becoming fatigued. If you are a parent or grandparent, this benefit can help you keep up with busy toddlers. Plus, you’ll conserve more energy for other enjoyable tasks.
Balance board training is amazing for both your body and your mind. If you are considering purchasing a balance board to take advantage of all of these great health benefits, here is the one Energy Matters, LLC. recommends.
For more personalized guidance on improving your health, wellness, and balance, schedule a phone consultation with Rose today.
*This blog contains Amazon affiliate links. The owner of this site may receive a small commission if you click a link and purchase a recommended product.
What To Remember:
Balance training can improve the health of your body and your mind.
Anyone can use a balance board, regardless of fitness level.
Regular balance board use can foster rehabilitation and prevent future injury.
The ProSource Fit Balance Board is highly recommended due to its safe, slip-proof design.
Sources:
- 10 Balance Board Benefits That Will Transform Your Life. (2019). Retrieved from FitAndMe.com.
- Improving Balance and Stability With A Balance Board. (2019). Retrieved from LifeSpan.com.
- Wikipedia contributors. (May, 2019). Balance board. Retrieved from Wikipedia.com.
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