Trying to become a better athlete? Have a tendency to stumble at inopportune times? In either case, you would be well-served by improving your balance.

The question you might have, however, is: how? How exactly do you improve your balance?

There are a number of different things you can do, some of which involve physical exercise and some of which involve mental exercise. Curious as to what they are? Without further ado, here’s how to improve your balance.

1. Get Familiar With Yoga

One of the best ways to improve your balance is to start doing yoga. Yoga involves a variety of balance-oriented poses, all of which promote strength, flexibility, and mental wherewithal.

By practicing yoga on a regular basis, you will almost undoubtedly improve your balance. The more challenging the poses, the more coordinated you will become. Soon enough, balancing yourself will be second nature.

There are a number of ways to get started with yoga. You could do it at home with the instruction of a YouTube video; You could do it at a studio with the direction of a live instructor; Of, if you wish, you could buy a yoga book and teach the poses to yourself.

2. Strengthen Your Core

While it may not seem so, the majority of a person’s balance comes from his or her core. If the core is weak in relation to body weight, there will be a lack of balance. If the core is strong in relation to body weight, balance is bound to be plentiful.

As such, if you want to improve your balance, you have to improve your core strength. Now, this isn’t always easy. There are no real shortcuts; just a lot of hard work and dedication.

Start doing crunches every day. If you can, get to the gym and do full-body workouts. Once there, work in as many core-friendly exercises (ie. squats, deadlifts, rows) as possible.

Over time, as long as you’re consistent in your training, you will notice improvements in your balance.

3. Vary Your Exercises

Any form of exercise will help to improve your balance. However, performing the same exercises over and over again is a surefire way to reach a balance plateau.

So, how do you get around the problem? By varying your exercises each time you participate in a fitness session.

Instead of just running and biking, throw some jump ropes into the equation. Maybe you could try some up-downs? Perhaps the stair-stepping machine will give you an edge?

If you really want to challenge yourself, you could try ice skating. The change in traction and foot surface could end up working wonders.

4. Exercise With Only One Side of Your Body

As you’re varying your exercises, you should try to put a priority on exercises that work just one side of your body. These exercises are known as unilateral exercises and they are known to improve balance.

Wondering which exercises these include? A few examples include one-armed dumbbell curls, one-legged squats, box step-ups, and side lunges.

These exercises improve balance by strengthening the stabilizing muscles. The stabilizing muscles have a minor impact when used on their own. However, when used in concert, they are hugely impactful.

5. Walk With a Book on Your Head

A great way to improve not only balance but posture as well is to walk with a book on your head. You might have some trouble getting started. But once you’ve gotten the hang of things, you’ll be able to move naturally.

Over time, as you practice more and more, your learned posture and balance will become second nature. You’ll be able to move with little to no balance restrictions whatsoever.

6. Practice With Your Eyes Closed

Another way to improve your balance is by practicing with your eyes closed. Why is this beneficial?

Because keeping your balance with your eyes closed is much more difficult than keeping your balance with your eyes open.  So, if you’re able to balance yourself with your eyes closed, you’ll have no problem balancing yourself with your eyes open.

Start out by trying to balance on one foot. Once you’ve perfected this, try to balance on one foot while jumping. Then, you can move onto more complex maneuvers, including but not limited to lunges, lateral jumps, and jump roping.

Once you’ve mastered all of these maneuvers with your eyes closed, you’ll have no trouble keeping your balance during other activities.

7. Sit on an Exercise Ball

If you want to improve your balance mindlessly throughout the day, you might consider sitting on an exercise ball. Because exercise balls have no foundations, they require the people sitting on them to establish foundations instead. If these individuals are not balanced, they will inevitably fall off of the ball.

You don’t have to make a big event of it. Put your exercise ball in front of the TV and sit on it while you watch your favorite shows. You’ll be improving your balance without even realizing it.

8. Use a Starecta Device

One last option is to use a Starecta body balancing device. This is a dental device that centers the body, promoting good posture and, as a result, producing good balance.

Starecta comes with a number of other benefits as well, some of which are physical and some of which are psychological. Want to reduce mental stress? Hoping to say goodbye to chronic nausea? It just might be the answer for you.

Now That You Know How to Improve Your Balance…

Now that you know how to improve your balance, you might be searching for similar tips. If so, you needn’t look much further. This website has all the info you need.

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