Not just for athletes

Why you should train your balance

Balance exercises can often be easily incorporated into everyday life, such as standing on one leg.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/everypixel)

It's not just athletes who benefit from targeted balance and coordination training. Sports scientist Philipp Bör explains why good motor skills are generally also important in everyday life and especially for older people.

Balance and muscular coordination are essential in order to remain stable and upright and to coordinate body movements. This means that we need motor skills not only for sport, but also for everyday activities such as climbing stairs or carrying loads.

However, as we get older, the neurological processes that control our movements slow down, our muscle strength decreases and our ability to maintain balance deteriorates. This can lead to unsteady walking and an increased risk of falling. It is therefore advisable for older people in particular to regularly complete an appropriate sports program.

Coordination training sharpens the interaction between the nervous system and the muscles. This leads to an improvement in the quality of movement. It is a key skill that should be trained, especially at an advanced age, in order to make movement sequences safe and efficient," reports sports scientist and personal trainer Philipp Bör. Regular balance and coordination training has numerous benefits, including improved posture and a reduced risk of injury.

Coordination training sharpens the interaction between the nervous system and the muscles. This leads to an improvement in the quality of movement.

Mag. Philipp Bör, Sportwissenschafter und Personal Trainer 

Bild: Philipp Bör

"The great thing about this training is that it can be easily integrated into everyday life. Even simple exercises such as standing on one leg regularly can make a big difference. It's particularly important for older people because it offers a range of physical and cognitive benefits that help maintain quality of life and independence," says the personal trainer.

Training for muscles and the brain
Bör continues: "While strength exercises are primarily aimed at increasing muscle strength and endurance sports improve the fitness of the cardiovascular system, coordination training focuses on fine-tuning the brain, nerves and muscles to enable harmonious and precise movements."

So training your coordination skills not only activates your "muscles", but also your "gray matter". This is because the brain has to constantly adapt movement sequences and balance reactions. According to Bör, this can also help to prevent dementia.