It’s the wind that prompted me to choose this month’s topic.

Very blowy.

As it whipped up a strong gust I could feel myself grounding my body more firmly through my feet and drawing strength from my abdominal muscles to hold myself up.

In doing so I wondered how many other people were doing the same.

Balance is a funny thing. You don’t give it much thought until you realise one day that it’s not quite as reliable as you’d like. Even if that is the case, it is not the end of the road and simply a matter of hanging onto things more often and avoiding the wobbly cobbles. If you do accept it as one of those things, it is a given that your balance will deteriorate further and you will be hanging on to things more often and avoiding any cobble, stable or otherwise.

I have to continually chip away to keep my balance tippity top. The more I have been sitting and the less I have been stretching out, the worse my balance is. Add being poorly or the challenges of life stretching my juggling abilities to the hilt and the result is my balancing prowess is a little to be desired.

Enough of me. Over to you and my Stickmen and let’s get wobbling.

Stickman One on his tippy toes

Rise up onto your toes

Draw the base of your skull away from your body

Shoulders back and down

Look around and wobble freely!

Stickman Two with his golfers’ bend

Reach  arms forward and lift back leg

Draw the base of your skull away from your body

Shoulders back and down

Squeeze your bottom tightly while moving your arms and legs!

Stickman Three and his clenched derriere

Stand on one leg and place opposite foot against your calf

Turn the bent knee outwards

Draw the base of your skull away from your body

Shoulders back and down

Squeeze your bottom tightly

Look around and enjoy the view!

The benefits are manifold:

The more you wobble with the exercises, (safely and within your own ability) in time the more it will take to lose your balance. 

Your willingness to attempt to walk over more challenging and varied surfaces will improve.

Your need to hold on will be less and the strength in your body and legs will increase because you will be working more effectively with less arm support.

The greatest reward of all will be a marked increase in your confidence. The more confident you are the more you can challenge yourself. The more you challenge yourself the better your balance becomes.

Moving with greater fluidity corresponds with stronger muscles and more flexible joints which more readily absorb the insults when we jar or knock our bodies.

Let the wind blow my friends and rise to the challenge, knowing you can wobble with the best of them!