Balance Exercises

[Selkie]

I'm recovering from a bad case of peroneal tendonitis (ankle malady). Podiatrist told me to use the some exercises the PT gave me the last time I had this---other ankle, five years ago. That's fine.

Want to expand my options of balance exercises. Right now, I'm doing my regular yoga poses. Hope to get a Bosu this coming weekend. Anyone have favorite balance exercises that they want to share?

[Veronica]

Stand with one foot on the Bosu ball, bring you opposite hand down to touch that foot. Try to keep your other foot up while you 15 reps. You can add a hand weight.

Veronica

[OakLeaf]

Yoga is probably as good as anything. Warrior III -> airplane -> half moon -> Warrior III -> Tree (raising arms to "palm tree" and then back to anjali mudra) -> Mountain to switch sides, is one of my favorite progressions for balance work. Shifting your gaze to the ceiling in Half Moon and Tree adds an extra challenge.

V., are you doing a hip hinge with that exercise? If so, that's another one I like, and it's plenty challenging on the floor without the Bosu ... with or without a weight, hip hinge to touch the floor with the arm ipsilateral to the standing leg, then hinge back up while raising the knee and pressing the arm overhead. I tried it today with a med ball in both hands, which is even more challenging.

[Selkie]

Stand with one foot on the Bosu ball, bring you opposite hand down to touch that foot. Try to keep your other foot up while you 15 reps. You can add a hand weight.

Veronica

That sounds hard! Plan to get a Bosu today, so I'll get to work! Oak, thanks for the yoga tips. I primarily do tree pose for balance, but I'll add more balance poses to my routine.

Ironically, my ankles were strong before the injury because I do yoga regularly and at times, wear fins when swimming. The bad thing about ankle injuries is the long recovery time. On the plus side, doc told me it was ok to ride and swim even though I could barely walk! :p Keeping active keeps me sane.

[Crankin]

Ha, the Bosu exercise only works if you can actually stand on it on one foot...
And you have to have good balance for that! When I belonged to a gym, I didn't go to the Bosu classes, because they were full of people (mostly cyclists) who made fun of the people who fell off of the Bosu.
I can do the yoga sequence Oak describes, although I am shaky if I don't do it on a regular basis. My balance sucks, always has. Sometimes, I am truly amazed I can ride, but it certainly is the reason for my terrible handling skills.

[Selkie]

Ha, the Bosu exercise only works if you can actually stand on it on one foot...
And you have to have good balance for that! When I belonged to a gym, I didn't go to the Bosu classes, because they were full of people (mostly cyclists) who made fun of the people who fell off of the Bosu.
I can do the yoga sequence Oak describes, although I am shaky if I don't do it on a regular basis. My balance sucks, always has. Sometimes, I am truly amazed I can ride, but it certainly is the reason for my terrible handling skills.

LOL, I can't stand on it on one foot....yet! I'm working on getting comfortable balancing on it with both feet, which is not easy. I'm up to five minutes, but when I get off, my legs feel like noodles (and I have strong legs). It works the core, too.

[Dogmama]

Stand with one foot on the Bosu ball, bring you opposite hand down to touch that foot. Try to keep your other foot up while you 15 reps. You can add a hand weight.

Veronica

I did this. These are evil. I love it!

[Selkie]

Humph. I have very good balance, but my right knee is unstable.
..

Hasn't anyone ever heard of grabbing onto a rail, and letting go? (Hint: ballet barre).

I put the Bosu close enough to the wall to save myself from disaster.

There are other things you can do with it (pushups, core work, etc), so it's pretty versatile.

Ankle injuries are the worst. They take forever to completely heal.

[OakLeaf]

The PT had me doing plenty of balance exercises when I was rehabbing my (nonsurgical) knee ....


Here's another thing I thought of: inversions. Learning to stand on my head really showed me where I was out of alignment and off balance standing up, because when everything is upside down, I didn't have years of developing unbalanced muscles to make me feel "normal" when I was actually leaning over and flattening my spine.

[jacobadam]

Yes, the Exercise is an important factor of our daily life. It provide more healthy body and strength. I would recommned to do yoga and morning jogging.