The word, “balance” is bandied around a lot. It’s often used when talking about lifestyle habits—think “work-life balance” or living a “balanced life.”. That definition of balance refers to how we spend our time, or how we handle competing interests in our daily schedule. But there’s a very important type of balance we should be equally concerned about—the type of balance that reflects the body’s ability to remain stable when either standing or moving.
Good balance isn’t just important for gymnasts or ballerinas, it’s essential for safe and efficient functioning in our daily tasks. Balance helps protect us from accidents and injuries, like slipping on the ice or twisting our ankle on an uneven running trail. Balance is essential to performing simple activities, like going up and down stairs safely, riding a bike, or for sports like ice skating or snowboarding.
So, just how balanced are you? Take the balance test:
Stand on one leg, lift the opposite knee in the air, and let your arms hang by your sides without touching the body.
The goal is to be able to hold this stance for 30 seconds on each side without hopping around on the foot of the standing leg or using the arms to stabilize you.
If you’re feeling wobbly and want to improve your balance, here’s how:
1. Build leg strength
By strengthening the muscles that surround and support the ankles, knees, and hips, you will feel more stable and have greater agility in tasks that test your balance.
Three yoga poses to strengthen your legs:
2. Build core strength
By developing strong abdominal and back muscles, you create stability throughout the torso, while at the same time promoting a healthy body posture. Core strength helps prevent falls and promotes quick recovery from movements that could throw you off balance.
Try these two yoga poses to strengthen the core:
3. Increase Flexibility
A flexible body—along with the support of a strong core and legs—allows you to move and react with ease to movements through all ranges of motion. The combination of strength and flexibility create a powerful, but supple, body.
Try these four yoga poses to increase flexibility through different planes of movement:
If you're looking for a little more yoga inspiration, take a look at how yoga can kickstart your mornings, or the real meaning behind Corpse pose.
Photo by Bruce Zinger Photography
When I became a parent—or rather, as soon as I was visibly pregnant—everyone seemed to have advice for me. Whether I asked for it or not, I was inundated with other people’s opinions about childbirth, breastfeeding, sleeping, strollers, soothers, baby carriers, bouncy chairs, tummy time, etc. Although I have been on the receiving end of much (oh, so very much) unwanted advice, I have also heard some stellar pieces over the seven years I’ve been a parent.
Here are four gems that have stuck with me, informed how I parent, and are pieces of advice I am truly thankful for.
Kids Need To Experience Their Own Emotional Milestones: As much as I don’t want to see my kids get hurt, be disappointed, get frustrated, or feel anger, I need to let them experience their own emotional milestones without trying to make these difficult situations go away. Instead, I’m trying to teach them coping skills and ways to process their circumstances. A wide range of emotions is the reality of life. As much as I'm tempted, if I bubble wrap my kids I know it will come back to haunt them—and me—in the years to come. But through supporting them as they learn to deal with certain emotions, I hope they’ll be able to cultivate a deeper understanding of themselves, and learn healthy ways to cope in difficult times.
Only Make Promises You Can Keep: It’s tempting to make a promise for later that will get me out the door on time or that will help avoid a monumental temper tantrum, but if I make promises that I don’t keep, I risk my kids learning that they can’t rely on me. The person who gave me this advice modeled it so well with her children that I’ve adopted her line. “I would like to say yes, but I don’t want to make a promise I can’t keep. Let’s revisit this later when the time is right.” It has helped me immensely and I hope that my children know they can take me at my word.
Don’t Compare: It’s so easy to look at other kids and compare them to mine. This baby sleeps through the night, that toddler walked at ten months, this kid never ever fusses in public, that kid eats everything on his plate, this kid goes to bed without a struggle, that kid knows how to count to 100, this kid started to read chapter books at age five, and that kid is a faster runner than his mum. It can be crazy-making if we compare. Because, as I know (or keep re-learning), there will always be people who are stronger at certain skill sets than I am, just as I might excel in areas that other people don’t. My kids are their own individual personalities, with strengths and weaknesses just like all of us. The more I accept and embrace them for who they are—not for who I want them to be—the more they will feel confident and supported in being fully and completely themselves.
Let Yourself Make Mistakes: We’ve all done things as a parent that, upon reflection, weren’t necessarily the wisest of choices. I’ve lost my temper at little things that weren’t really a big deal, I’ve had expectations of my kids that far exceeded their ages or capabilities, I’ve pushed the limits of bedtime and messed with a schedule that worked. But through all of these choices, I’ve learned, and I make a point of telling my kids when I’ve made a mistake. I view parenting—like life—as a continual work in progress. And I hope my kids see that it’s okay to make mistakes, because that is how we figure out what works in life.
How about you? Have you had any great advice since becoming a parent?
If you’d like to hear about what I’ve learned from some of my other mistakes, read how I almost didn’t listen to my daughter, or the results of my happiness study. I’ve even discovered a few things about love.
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