Balance Products - How Do They Work?4681015

Balance improvement products are designed with an element of instability to intentionally throw you off balance.

For example, just sitting on a FitBall improves your balance because you use so many muscles to stay seated on it. You don't even have to "work out" on it to see results. Sit on it while you're at your desk at work, or at the dinner table, or watching TV, or scrapbooking, or at your sewing machine. An option to the FitBall is the FitBall Seating Disc, which mimics the FitBall exercise ball, but sits on top of your chair. It doubles as a balance disc.

Balance Discs sit on the floor, right under your feet or hands while you do squats, lunges or push-ups. They are flat on one side and round, slightly "puffed up" on the other. When you are doing your regular exercises and you put your hands or feet on the puffy side, you are forced to concentrate on keeping your balance. You can also just stand on it with one foot, or sit on it when you do your crunches. The discs are small, light and portable.

The Power Wheel can be used with either your hands or your feet, but it basically challenges your whole body to stabilize while the 14" wheel rolls along the ground.

Balance Pads are square blocks of specialty foam (latex free, anti-fungal, non-absorbing, non-scuff, no-slip) that you stand on while exercising. They are used in mobility training, lower extremity rehab and motor skill training.

Indo Boards. These nifty gizmos are skateboard-shaped wooden boards that you stand on while balancing on top of a roller. I know... Wooohoooo! There are different sizes for different skill levels. The Original Indo Balance Board is super popular with board sport enthusiasts - skateboarders, snowboarders, wakeboarders, kiteboarders and surfers. Indo Boarding is a fun, inexpensive way for anyone age 4 and up to get into shape and become more agile. Totally rad. Makes a great gift.

Don't like to work out? Here's one for you. Stand on a wobble board while talking on the phone. In no time you'll have stronger ankles and better balance. Be careful though! As with any balance product it takes time to work. You may not be strong enough right off the bat.

Foam rollers are super popular. They are cylindrical pieces of high density foam consisting of millions of tiny cells that bounce back when you press on them, or lay on them. They're used mainly for balance training, Pilates and self-massage. There are lots of books and videos to show you how to work them, but basically you sit or stand or lay on them while doing a variety of exercises. They come in all shapes and sizes, including "half rounds" for beginners.

There are many other balance-specific products, but they pretty much all do the same thing. They keep you unstable. Some of the names of these products are Rocker Boards, Core Boards, Twist Boards, Balance Trainers, Balance Beams, Balance Domes, Rotational Flexors and Multi-Balance Boards.

So, why buy a special product to improve your balance when you could just stand on one leg with your eyes closed? Why not just walk along the backs of park benches or hop across fence posts or slide down a banister in your socks? Wellll, you could get really hurt for one thing. Okay, then, just stand on one leg with your eyes closed! Go for it. But if you invest in one or two simple balance tools, you can do a full range of exercises, have fun and get balanced at the same time.