Sure-Footed Hikes Need Good Balance

For the best Colorado hikes, you need pretty sure footing. Even relatively easy trails like the Trading Post Trail at Red Rocks Park outside of Denver can make you trip and slip—so the better your balance is, the easier it will be for you to enjoy your hike. Your sense of balance is necessary for so many activities, from outdoor sports to walking around your house. If you don’t have great balance, though, don’t worry. The right balancing exercises can help you improve.

Your balance is crucial for normal mobility, and especially athletic activities. Some people do naturally have better balance than others, but it’s also a skill that can be improved. After all, it had to be learned when you were a baby. Your sense of balance grew stronger the more you practiced back then. The same principle holds true today, whether you’re an athlete looking to up your game or a grandmother wanting to avoid falls and keep up with your grandchildren.

Here are a few good and easy-to-do exercises to improve balance:

• One Leg Balancing – Stand on one leg without holding anything to help you. Stand still for as long as you can, building your way up to a minute on each foot.
• Advanced One Leg Balancing – When regular balancing becomes too easy, make it more challenging by closing your eyes or by standing on an unstable surface like a pillow.
• Leg Swings – Standing on one foot, swing the other foot forward and backward without touching the ground. After that, swing your leg out to the side. Repeat on the other leg.
• Tip-Toes with Arm Circles – Balance on your toes, keeping your heels as high off the ground as you can. Hold your arms straight out to the sides and move your arms in small circles.

The more you practice, the easier these will become. Another way to help is to focus on abdominal strengthening. You use your core muscles a lot to maintain balance, so the stronger they are, the easier it is to stay upright.