When you think of exercise, do you consider your balance? Do you do any workouts or therapies to improve your balance? Many people simply do not give much thought to it, until they fall and get hurt that is. However, there are very good reasons why working on your balance should be a part of your daily life. And, those reasons go far above and beyond making it easier to not fall down. Here are five reasons why your balance is important to your health. You may be surprised by some of them, and they certainly should be reasons for you to consider changing your health and wellness routine.
1. Preventing Falls
Of course, the number one reason to work on your balance is to prevent fall injuries. Sprained ankles, hip fractures, broken arms, and broken wrists are some of the main injuries that can occur with a fall. By working to improve your balance, you can greatly reduce the risk of any of these happening.
2. Working Your Whole Body
You may be surprised to learn, but improving your balance has an impact on your whole body. The exercises alone work for muscle groups throughout your body, helping you with overall physical fitness. Additionally, many studies agree that having better balance reduces your risk of muscle strain, arthritis, and other joint injuries. This can save you pain in the future as well.
3. Improving Reflexes
Having better balance also improves your reflexes and your overall ability to react quickly. If you play sports, this can certainly improve your game. If you don’t it still means you can react quicker and more easily to events happening around you. There are so many times throughout the day that we depend on our reflexes for our own safety and well-being that this can certainly be an advantage.
4. Helping with Cognitive Function
This isn’t necessarily one you may have ever considered, but there are actual studies that show elderly individuals especially those who did balance exercises saw improvements in their memory and other cognitive functions. With stress, responsibilities, and other things constantly taxing our brains, anything that can help improve cognitive function can certainly be an advantage.
5. Easy to Do
There’s a final reason to work to improve your balance. It’s easy to do, so there is really no reason to not do the exercises. They don’t require special equipment or training. You won’t have to spend a lot of money to get started. You can simply add the routines to your day.
So, if you are looking for ways to improve your daily routine, adding balance exercises can certainly be helpful. And, if you aren’t, then adding the exercises can be helpful anyway. We don’t spend a great deal of time thinking about our balance until we need it, but there are so many health benefits to improving it. Consider these five reasons and start thinking about working on your balance too. It certainly could change your life in many ways you may not have ever even considered.