At Active Seniors, we assess our members balance with eyes open and, where safe to do so, with eyes closed. For many people, there is a big difference between the two, with eyes closed proving to be much more challenging than anticipated. As a result, one of the most common questions we get asked is…
Have you ever been told to slow down, or maybe speed up your movements when exercising? Do you know why? Our body adapts differently to the same movement, depending on the speed at which you move! This makes it really important to move at the right speed, in order to get the desired benefits, whether…
Most people are familiar with common balance exercises such as standing heel to toe, or standing on one leg. These exercises are examples of what are called static balance exercises, and while static exercises should be part of a successful balance training program, so too should dynamic exercises. Static exercises refer to exercises where we…
While most people are aware of the importance of the glute and core muscles, very little focus is given to a very important yet overlooked area of the body …. the big toes. While they may be small in comparison to some of the other joints, the big toes have a vital role to play…
Balance exercises can be challenging. While this is a good thing because they need to challenge your body to produce change, it is common for people to feel as though they are not improving. There are a few quick tricks that you can try to improve your balance exercises. Be Barefoot The first trick may…
While it is logical to think that your feet have a role in balance, it’s amazing that something as simple as toe strength could reduce your risk of falling significantly. Research indicates that people who are likely to fall have around 20% less toe strength and that for each 1% (of body weight) increase, your risk of…
The three most important areas that contribute to our ability to balance are our eyes, our ears and our body receptors which are also known as proprioceptors. When we think about our ears and their primary role being hearing we can easily become confused about how they can influence our balance, and if a change…
When we think about balance, most of the time we focus our attention from the middle of the torso down. While mobility and stability of the lower body and core are essential for balance, so too is proper neck function. There are 3 main systems that contribute to our balance; our eyes, our vestibular system…
Stability almost seems to be a buzz word these days. People are often getting told that a lack of “core stability” is the reason for their pain. But what actually is stability? Understanding the real definition of stability helps us to understand how we can create stability.
We live in a world that thrives on convenience. Technology is constantly evolving to make our lives “easier”. However like many things in life this often comes at a price. Long before the days of roads and footpaths, our lives were surrounded by variations in terrain. These variations caused all 26 bones, 33 joints and…