Are you in Balance?

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When we think about health and fitness, we often focus on strength, flexibility, or endurance.

There’s one foundational element that quietly supports them all: physical balance. Balance is essential to everyday life, and its benefits reach far beyond simply avoiding a fall.

I urge you to, challenge your balance!

“Challenge Your Balance”

Stephen Lesavich, PhD

Why Balance Matters

Balance is the ability to control your body’s position, whether stationary or moving. It plays a critical role in nearly every movement we make, walking, climbing stairs, carrying groceries, even standing still.

What makes balance unique is that it involves the entire body and mind. It requires input from your muscles, joints, inner ear, eyes, and brain. Balance includes strength and flexibility, mental focus and spatial awareness.

When you train your balance, you:

• Prevents injury: A strong sense of balance helps you react quickly and recover from slips, reducing the risk of falls and sprains.
• Improves athletic performance: Whether you’re playing sports, dancing, or practicing yoga, balance is the secret weapon that sharpens your coordination and control.
• Enhances posture and stability: Poor balance can lead to misalignment, causing back pain, joint strain, and general discomfort.
• Supports aging: As we grow older, balance naturally declines. But with regular practice, it’s one of the most trainable skills, helping maintain independence and confidence in daily activities.
• Improves Brain-Body Communication: Your brain receives real-time feedback from your eyes, muscles, joints, and inner ear, then sends signals back to keep you upright. This strengthens the connection between your sensory and motor systems, enhancing coordination.
• Reduces Cognitive Decline Risk: Research suggests a correlation between poor balance and an increased risk of cognitive decline in aging adults. Regular balance training can help maintain brain health and reduce the risk of conditions like dementia.

Easy Ways to Improve Your Balance

You don’t need fancy equipment to get started. Here are some simple ways to incorporate balance training into your daily routine:

• Stand on one leg: while brushing your teeth, applying lotion, washing your face, waiting in line. Research studies have shown that challenging your body in new or unstable positions encourages the brain to form new neural pathways. This process, known as neuroplasticity, improves overall brain function and adaptability.
• Walk Backwards: Walk backwards on a daily basis. According to fitness expert and fitness trainer David Mariani (@basketball.biology), walking backwards on a regular basis improves your brain health and physically improves your range of motion and reduces the possibility of injuries. Research studies have shown that walking backwards improves muscle and joint coordination, enhances balance, and improves physical endurance.
• Use your Non-dominant Hand: Use your non-dominant hand for daily tasks. For example, if you are right handed, then use your left hand to pick up a for to eat, pick up your coffee cup, pick up your purse or back back, etc. Research studies with advanced brain imaging show that consistent use of your non-dominant hand stimulates neuroplasticity, generating new neural connections in your brain and strengthening existing ones.
• Close your eyes while standing: When you close your eyes, your brain shifts reliance from vision to proprioceptive feedback. Proprioception is your internal GPS, it helps you know where your limbs are without looking. Research studies have shown that closing your eyes helps your brain’s ability to interpret signals from muscles, joints, and your inner ear.
• Practice Dual Tasks: Dual-task elements are activities that require a person to perform two tasks simultaneously typically combining a physical task with a cognitive task. For example, standing on one leg and counting backwards by 3’s. Tapping your left hand and right foot and reciting the months of the year in reverse, etc. Research studies have shown that practicing dual tasks and incorporating dual tasks into daily routines strengthens both postural stability and cognitive control and improves brain health.
• Practice Yoga and Weight Lifting: Yoga enhances balance, mobility, proprioception, and core control. Weight lifting provides a well-rounded neuromuscular system, combining balance, strength, control and awareness. Research studies have shown that practicing yoga on a regular basis increases balance and brain health.

Balance is also not just a physical skill, it’s a metaphor for how we move through life.

When your body is in balance, you’re more grounded, more agile, and more prepared to handle life’s unexpected shifts.

Investing a little time in balance today pays off with confidence, coordination, and vitality for years to come and creates a positive impact in your life.

Out There on the Edge of Everything®…

Stephen Lesavich, PhD

Copyright © 2025 by Stephen Lesavich, PhD.  All rights reserved.

Certified solution-focused life coach and experienced business coach.

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