GlobalSpinePT.Staying Active & Better Balanced

MENTAL & PHYSICAL BALANCE

Staying active and staying balanced in many ways go hand in hand. Staying active refers to the amount of activity that you engage in daily. This of course can refer to how much time you spend at the gym, but it can also refer to howmany steps you take in a day, how often you find yourself running around the office, and how frequently you head out to the backyard to run around with your children or your dog. Balance in many ways works on the same principles. There are some activities that you do every day because you have to do them—work often falls into this category, as do household chores. But what about the activities that you simply love to do? What about the activities that you enjoy? Think about the last time that you sat down with a book that you loved and made yourself a cup of tea or coffee and really enjoyed the moment. Perhaps it isn’t reading that you wish you hadmore time for, but instead it is a garden that has grown weeds as it has been neglected. It could be a project at your home that you have looked forward to completing or an old car that you’ve wanted to fix up. There are special hobbies and interests that appeal to each of us, and spending timewith those hobbies can help you live amore balanced life. Alongside with the task of becoming more mentally balanced with the things that you spend time with in your life is the challenge of becoming more physically balanced. You can improve your physical balance by:

• Increasing muscle strength • Improving stamina

• Improving core strength • Practicing balancing techniques

In addition to finding your mental balance with how you spend your time, becoming more physically balanced is just as important. There are certain markers that typically indicate trouble with maintaining balance, such as frequently tripping and falling, or feeling dizzy when standing too long. But even if you are not having fundamental issues with your physical balance, you may still have difficulty with whole-body balance. Yoga is a great formof exercise to use to improve your ability to balance, as yoga helps to strengthen core muscles and improve coordination.

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