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When I was walking with Al Roker and our Start TODAY members through the streets of New York City last month to kick off our 100-Mile Challenge, we got to chatting. Al shared with me his goal of improving his balance while walking — something that every single one of us can benefit from.
So here we are! Thanks to Al, our February workout challenge is focused on improving strength and stability in the body to support you in everyday activities and help you walk more efficiently.
This month we’ll be adding two strength and stability workouts to our walking routine: A 5-minute workout focused specifically on building core strength — the main source of balance in the body — and a full-body balance workout that will challenge your stability and strengthen the lower body and core.
Why is balance training important?
When we walk, lift weights or perform any daily movement (from standing up from a chair to bending down to pick something up), our body recruits stabilizing muscles for balance. These include smaller muscles in your feet and around your ankles, muscles in the front and sides of your hips, and muscles of the core that help with posture and trunk stability. Strengthening these muscles helps to improve our overall body mechanics, allowing us to move more efficiently and reducing risk of pain and injury.
Not to mention that our balance is a reflection of our overall health, especially as we age. In fact, a recent report published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that people who couldn’t stand on one foot for 10 seconds were nearly twice as likely to die in the next 10 years. (The participants researchers analyzed were ages 51 to 75.)
A bonus is that balance training really fires up the core — since it’s the foundation of balance in the body. So by incorporating balance training into your routine…
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