 |
Balancing Acts AMC Outdoors, July/August 2003 By Michael Lanza Want to improve athletic performance in almost any activity and reduce the chance of injury in just minutes per week? Sports medicine physicians and physical therapists increasingly advise patients — from children to seniors — that working on their balance can do just that. This improves your proprioceptors and it takes just a few minutes a few times a week with a balance board or large exercise ball, of which there are many types available. (Search the Web or inquire at your local gym or physician's office.) Or make your own balance board by gluing half a tennis ball under a circular piece of wood. A Few Exercises 2) Standing with both feet on a balance board, have someone walk around you and repeatedly give you a gentle shove to try to knock you off-balance. 3) Lying with your hips and stomach over an exercise ball and your body straight and toes on the floor, looking up, extend one arm straight ahead while keeping the other arm straight down along your side. Hold, then switch arms. 4) Replace your office chair with an exercise ball (at the correct height for you and your desk) to improve core strength. Make sure you read the instructions first. —Michael Lanza is author of The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Travel, from AMC Books. |
|
 |
