If you are having trouble maintaining your balance, you may feel limited in what kind of day-to-day activities you can do. Don’t let a fear of losing your balance cause you to become a shut-in. Here are four stability ball exercises that you can do to help improve and maintain your balance. These can be done anywhere and only take a few minutes out of your day.
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#1 – Hip Circles
Begin in an upright sitting position on the stability ball with your feet flat on the floor and maintaining proper alignment in your upper body. Place your hands on your thighs. Tighten your core and rotate your hips in a clockwise direction. Repeat the movement in the opposite direction. To make the exercise more difficult, you can place your hands by your ears or interlace your fingers behind your head.
Hip Circles
Start with one set of 15 repetitions in each direction. The intensity of this exercise is light.
#2 – Marches
Begin in an upright sitting position on the stability ball with your feet flat on the floor and maintaining proper alignment in your upper body. Place your hands on your thighs. Tighten your core and drive one knee up toward your chest. Lower your leg back down to return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the opposite side. To make the exercise more difficult, you can place your hands by your ears or interlace your fingers behind your head, lifting your knee higher towards your chest.
Marches
Start with one set of 10 repetitions on each side. The intensity of this exercise is light.
#3 – Walks
Begin in an upright sitting position on the stability ball with your feet flat on the floor and maintaining proper alignment in your upper body. Tighten your core and start to walk your feet forward until you get all the way down with your back on the stability ball while keeping your balance. Reverse the movement as you raise back up to return to the starting position. Repeat the movement. To make the exercise easier, you can utilize the wall for support.
Walks
Start with one set of 10 repetitions. The intensity of this exercise is light.
#4 – Squats
Begin by standing with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart with the stability ball between your back and the wall. Move your legs out slightly and lean into the ball with your toes facing forward. Tighten your core and bend your knees to move into a squat position, ideally bringing your knees to a 90-degree angle. Raise back up and repeat the movement. To make the exercise more difficult, you can place your hands by your ears or interlace your fingers behind your head.
Squats
Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions. The intensity of this exercise is light.
No matter whether you are young or old, maintaining your balance properly is an important aspect of your health and how well you enjoy your life. Give these four stability ball exercises a try and see if your balance doesn’t improve.
For your complete guide to gaining better balance using your stability ball, check out our Strong & Stable Stability Ball Workout, here!
