5 Health Benefits Of Balance Board For Seniors
Balance board is a low-tech, common piece of sports equipment used for practicing balance and strengthening muscles. Moreover, its simple design makes it an excellent option for older people to use. It’s a widely-used fitness tool that can help you improve muscle strength and flexibility, as well as provide a cardio workout.
Some seniors have difficulty moving around, but still want to improve their fitness level. Balance boards can provide an easy way for those individuals to tone up, strengthen their core muscles and increase flexibility as they move across the board on dry land. There is little risk of injury from using a balance board because it does not require you to lift weights or strain your joints like other activities might do.
Here are five health benefits of using a balance board to train your body.
1. Muscles And Bones Of Seniors Can Be Strengthened With Use Of A Balance Board
Strengthening muscles by practicing balance on a balance board is especially beneficial to seniors because they exercise those muscles that are often neglected in other activities. However, we cannot ignore the importance of strengthening bones as well.
Standing on a balance board and practicing balance activates your leg and core muscles. When standing still, your body may shift slightly from left to right, causing you to lose your center of gravity and fall backward if you’re not strong enough. However, with regular practice, your body learns how to maintain its center of gravity while keeping a certain level of muscle tension. This is one way that balance boards can help prevent falls in seniors.
The muscles around the bones are equally important to bone health because they help support the bones themselves. Strengthening the muscles with balance board exercises along with adequate nutrition can help slow down osteoporosis in seniors.
2. Helps Seniors In Maintaining Proper Posture
The center of gravity in a person’s body shifts with weight at different times of the day and from one day to another. Using a balance board ensures that your weight is distributed properly and helps you maintain proper posture.
We have been told so many times to maintain good posture. What many people don’t know is that maintaining good posture comes from strong muscles attached to bones. Maintaining proper posture helps relieve pressure on nerves, muscles, and joints. It also improves the alignment of the spine which maintains normal functioning of internal organs.
3. Improves Coordination And Motor Skills
In addition to improving balance and posture, using a balance board can also help improve coordination and motor skills of seniors.
A strong core is an element of control that helps to stabilize the body in space which is necessary for proper muscle function during movement. Having a strong core means less pressure on the spinal cord and other parts of your body, like joints or muscles that cause pain. A second benefit would be that a strong core gives you better breathing ability as breathing muscles are also involved in movement during exercise.
The major muscle groups used in balancing are the calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, quadriceps, abdominals and lower back muscles. These muscles are also essential in proper body functions such as walking, running and jumping. So using a balance board regularly will help strengthen these muscles along with improving coordination and motor skills.
4. Burns Calories And Improves Cardiovascular Health
Burning calories with a balance board is one of the main aims of using this equipment. Some people find it difficult to exercise because they are out of shape or out of the habit. A balance board can be used as a complement to an exercise program by itself or in combination with other forms of equipment such as an elliptical machine or stair stepper. By having different types of physical activity and trying different exercises, you will be able to form a balanced and adapted routine which will help in burning calories.
Activities such as walking, jogging, dancing, swimming and riding a bike are all great ways to burn calories for an hour or two daily. One study found that using a balance board can burn 10 to 12 calories per minute. This is the same rate of burning calories with brisk walking and more than double calorie burning rate of swimming. Improving cardiovascular fitness not only helps improve your stamina but also helps prevent heart diseases and stroke for seniors.
5. Improves Balance In Seniors
In addition to the benefits mentioned above, using a balance board also improves balance in seniors.
As we age and our muscles weaken naturally, we find it difficult to turn, walk and reach. Using a balance board helps prevent falls by improving balance and control which is essential for maintaining good health. As we get older, balance training can help improve motor skills which are necessary to perform daily tasks.
A study was conducted on the effects of using a balance board on healthy adults between 30 and 50 years old. Results showed that less than 10% of subjects who used this equipment were able to keep their center of gravity distributed during walking movement when compared with a group who did not use the equipment (untrained group).
Aging brings about a decline in balance. Using a balance board regularly will help train your muscles and improve the strength of stabilizing muscles. It will also increase your sensory awareness with each step taken on the board so that you are aware of your body’s position as you move around.
Balance boards are easy to use at home. It can be helpful in strengthening muscles and developing motor skills. It can also help improve posture. In addition to these benefits, one study found that they burn calories and improve cardiovascular health while another research found that it improves balance in seniors.
Benefits listed may not be fully applicable to all individuals. Always consult your physician before beginning any physical activity or exercise regimen that includes balance boards as part of the workout routine.