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GearTrends'® Product Buying Guides: Balance and Wobble Board Buying Guide
So you're out there shopping for treadmills, home gyms, yoga mats, and bikes, as well as for gear for activities such as skiing and hiking. You want to burn calories, strengthen muscles, get flexible, run faster and be better at weekend pursuits.
But if you just look to buy that equipment and don't talk to your fitness store salesperson about balance training gear, you could be doing your fitness goals a disservice.
Why train balance
Balance is of course what keeps us upright and mobile. And although one doesn't ever think about training balance, every person should because it is what allows you to run, walk, skate, ski, hike or run around after the kids. That's because everyone balances for a millisecond with every step and, in active pursuits and exercise, good balance helps improve performance and staves off injury.
Plus, balance has to be practiced, particularly as we age. Watch some senior citizens shuffling down the street. The shuffle is often because they don't have enough sense of balance or strength to actually lift a foot and not fall.
Who hasn't sprained an ankle, tripped over a rock, or slipped on a wet or icy sidewalk? Better balance can keep the little twist or slip from becoming an activity-curtailing disaster. And if you get stronger and don't get hurt, you will meet your fitness goals successfully and stay active.
What balance training does
Standing on balance or wobble boards and working to maintain an upright position does four things for a person's balance:
- It strengthens lower legs, feet and lower body muscles key to the strength needed for good balance.
- It tunes the so-called "proprioceptors" in the joints and muscles. If well-tuned, they will respond involuntarily if you start to tilt and automatically keep you upright.
- It teaches the person balancing to use and to process visual clues to keep him or her on an even keel.
- It educates a person to stand tall and look out at the horizon, not down at the ground, so the body’s natural balance mechanisms – ears and eyes – can function properly.
If you have made the decision to take the time to workout or otherwise get active, a mere few minutes of balance training each day can be integrated into things you already do at home and at the office. You can stand on a balance or wobble board when you watch the news, brush your teeth, or while you talk on the phone. It is important, though to make balance a habit, part of your regular daily routine.
For example, you can also:
- stand on a balance board for some weight-lifting exercises such as curls,
- sit on it while doing ab exercises,
- stand on it while at the sink washing dishes,
- stretch on it after an aerobic workout, or
- stand on it while playing fetch with a pet dog.
Prices can vary from about $30 to $60, with some boards going for as little as $15 at mass merchandisers and sporting goods stores. The difference is in construction and features.
For example, a better board will have an adjustable base, a non-slip top to stand on, will have an even speed of tip (rather than just flopping with a jerk when you are off-balance), and won't flex with a user's weight. A top-end board will most likely be made of wood and have more adjustments for different levels and skills. Both will come with some kind of instruction or education on enclosed brochures or on packaging. Cheap boards may not have any adjustment, education or consistent tipping and could be less durable.
Balance tips
From the start, practice a “heads-up” posture. This is important because of the mechanisms in the ears and eyes that help with balance. No staring at floor or feet!
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