How to Use a Balance Board

Standing on a balance board is an excellent way of training your muscles and nerves to work together, building proprioception--the innate awareness of where your body is in space. The subtle shifts in position involved in using a balance board or the simple fact of standing to use it can help prevent some of the negative effects of sitting for long periods, including reduced circulation and increased muscular fatigue.

How to use a Balance Board. All you need is a old skateboard deck and a 1.25L or bigger bottle filled with water as much as possible so you have no air bubbles and away you go.

Single Foot Balancing

Once you get comfortable with balancing, centering ad cross stepping with both feet, you should move to practicing balancing on just one foot. Start with 10-second holds and challenge yourself to extend for as long as you can. Initially, you should balance from a centered position. As you gain confidence, move to the outer edges of the board and balance on one leg there. You can move your other foot around in the air to help you to maintain your balance.

Rolling Plank 

Flip your Indo Board over so that the smooth side is up and place the roller under the middle of it. Get down into a plank position with your arms resting on the board. Make sure that you keep your butt down and feet together with straight legs.

Hold the plank position for a few seconds and then begin rolling the board to your left. This will engage the intercostals at the sides of the waist. Return to center and then roll to the right.

To make this move even more challenging, raise one foot into the air behind you, without bending the knee.

Push-ups

From the same start position, place your palms on the board and perform push-ups. The unstable nature of the platform will make the exercise much more difficult. Again to add difficulty, you can lift a leg into the air behind you as you perform the exercise.

Board Squats

Mount the board and assume the power position. Place your hands out directly in front of you and begin performing regular squats. Go slowly and attempt to go right down into a full squat position. Remember to buckle your knees in, in order to help you maintain your balance.

Once you become comfortable performing squats, you can try using some offset weight by way of a kettlebell. Raise the kettlebell over your head on one side and use your other arm to balance out to the side. This offset resistance makes the move much more challenging.

Health Warning…

You should stop exercising if you find you experience any pain while attempting the positions outlined above. Incorrect form could hold back your recovery or make your injury worse.

As a preventative measure, or to build balance and strength, you could start out doing these exercises for a few minutes each day. As they can be done in the comfort of your own home, even in front of the television, they are a great way to stay active even if you don’t have much time.