Body Balance Definition

All sports and activities requires some degree of balance, whether it is to swing a golf club or run uphill. However, many people lose their balance from sitting too much and not having enough physical activity. By integrating balance as part of your regular workout, you can minimize your risk of falls and muscle imbalances-where one side of your body is tighter and weaker than the other side.

According to physical therapist Gray Cook, founder of Functional Movement Screen in Danville, Virginia, balance has two definitions. The common definitions refers to the state of equilibrium, or your ability to maintain your center of gravity. The other definition is asymmetry between the left and right sides of your body. This is where one side of your body is tighter and weaker than the opposite side.

For example, if you throw a ball with your right arm and shoulder more than your left, then your right side is stronger than your left. This creates tension throughout your muscles and tissues on your right shoulder and torso unless you stretch the tight side and strengthen the left side of your body.

Types

According to Cook, there are two types of balance. Static balance is your ability to maintain your center of gravity in a non-moving position, such as a handstand or standing on one leg. Dynamic balance is your ability to maintain balance while moving, such has running, tumbling or walking on sand.

Benefits
Having optimal balance in equilibrium prevents falls and injuries and improves athletic performance. It allows you to change directions quickly during a sprint, which is important in many sports, such as basketball and soccer.

According to Anthony Carey, co-founder of Function First in San Diego, California, improving your left-right asymmetry alleviates pain in your muscles and joints that causes muscle spasms, arthritis, and herniated discs. This type of posture deviation is one of the primary causes of joint and muscle pain and dysfunction.

Expert Insight
According to Juan Carlos Santana, director of the Institute of Human Performance in Boca Raton, Florida, you can improve your balance with traditional weight-lifting exercises by moving in the basic three planes of motion, which are sagittal, or front and back; frontal, or side to side; and transverse, which is rotation. For example, when you do a standing dumbbell press in the first rep, you can step to the front, side, and back as you press the weights above your head. You can also turn your body, step, and press overhead.

Warning
Balance is dictated by many factors in your body, especially by your nervous system. If you have any neurological or spinal problems that affect your ability to maintain balance or your gait pattern, seek treatment from a qualified medical professional before starting on any exercise program.

WHAT IS BODY BALANCE EXERCISE?

Body Balance is an example of one of the many hybrid exercise programs that have become popular in the fitness industry. The technique integrates Pilates, yoga and tai chi. The Body Balance moves are choreographed to specialized musical tracks, which have been chosen for their melody, rhythm and theme. The program was designed to enhance flexibility, strength and dynamic balance, which is balance inmotion.

HISTORY OF BODY BALANCE

The Body Balance program was designed by New Zealander Les Mills, who is also the creator of the Body Pump program. Mills has been in the fitness industry since the late 1960s. He created Body Pump, a group exercise barbell class, in 1990. When it was demonstrated at various North American fitness centers, club owners decided that it would be a perfect addition to their group exercise program. Mills was skillful at seeing fitness trends and turning them into commercial programs, which would require instructor certification, licensing fees and sales of specially designed music. The kickboxing craze inspired Body Combat. The indoor cycling craze inspired RPM. Body Balance is a result of the growing fascination with mind exercise.

Features
A Body Balance class begins with a series of movements inspired by tai chi. It continues with the yoga sun salutation, which is a series of interconnected yoga moves that move fluidly from one pose to the next. Standing strength and balance exercises are then performed, which are followed hip flexibility exercises, core work and relaxation.

Benefits
The Body Balance Program promotes flexibility, balance, core strength and stress reduction. The tempo of the music helps guide the student on the proper pacing of the exercise, and the nonstop movement may have mild aerobic benefits for those who were previously inactive.

Considerations
An article in the March, 2008 edition of "Fitness Management" compared the pros and cons of pre-choreographed classes versus freestyle. Pre-choreographed classes such as Body Balance add predictability and consistency to an exercise program. Members attend the class for the exercises and the music. Instructors are interchangeable. Many seasoned fitness professionals, however, are less

enthusiastic. These instructors enjoy the creativity involved in creating their own

routines. Their enthusiasm about their jobs may wane when forced to follow a prechoreographed class pattern.

Warnings
Yoga, tai chi and Pilates are exercise disciplines that require years of study. A Body Balance instructor may not have received extensive training in all of these disciplines. Instead, he has simply taken a training program specific to Body Balance. This training gives an overview of these disciplines but it may not train the instructor to see the subtleties associated with the movements.

Body Balance Exercise

Balance is the ability to change your center of gravity in response to the movement of your body. It is an essential skill no matter what your physical condition. Athletes with good balance are more efficient in their sports. Improved balance in the elderly leads to fewer fall-related injuries and better quality of life. An assortment of exercises can teach balance skills you can practice with or without specialized balance equipment.

Stand on One Leg

Standing on one leg is a basic balance exercise you can perform anywhere. With feet hip-distance apart, shift your weight to one foot and raise the other foot off the floor. Hold for 30 seconds, and then repeat on the other side. When you can easily hold the pose without wobbling, try it with your eyes closed. Visual stimuli help the body maintain balance, and removing visual cues provides an extra body balance challenge.

Balance on Toes
Balancing on your toes is another simple exercise that can be done anywhere without balance equipment. Stand with feet hip-distance apart and rise up on your toes. Hold your arms out to the side for added stability, if necessary, and maintain the pose for 30 seconds. To increase the intensity, slowly lower the body into a squat position while balanced on your toes, and then rise back up to standing. Perform an advanced version of this exercise by balancing on the toes of one foot as you rise up and down. For an even greater challenge, try it with your eyes closed.

Jump Across Mat

Jumping across an exercise mat requires the body to recover quickly from a destabilized position. Stand on your left foot on the left side of an exercise mat or other non-slip material measuring roughly 2 feet across. Bend your left knee and spring across the mat, landing on your right foot on the right side of the mat. Maintain balance on your right foot, and, once stabilized, jump back to your left foot on the left side of the mat. Once you are able to jump through many repetitions without losing balance, challenge your body by performing the exercise with closed eyes. Intensify the exercise even more by having a friend toss a medicine ball to you as you land on each foot.

Create an Unstable Surface

Balancing on an unstable surface allows the body's proprioceptors---receptors in the muscles, joints and skin that map the body's position in space---to engage. Challenging your body's proprioception helps your body not only in routine exercise movements, but also in recovering from a sudden shift in position, such as a stumble or a fall. Progress to advanced versions of the above exercises by practicing them on a balance disc, a Bosu ball or a foam pillow, as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine.