Flat Footed

Another Brian post:

Brian had me doing another strength/balance exercise. As I held on to an upright support with one hand, arm extend out straight, I slowly lowered a weight towards the floor with my other hand. I did this while bending from the waist, extending one leg straight out behind me as I lowered the weight. When I returned to an upright position, one leg stayed planted as a pivot point while the other hovered just above the floor until I bent over again.

This human pendulum maneuver is harder than it looks, at least for me. You see, I have flat feet. The flattest. I’m talking about feet so flat that when I walk barefoot in the sand, my footprints leave an impression of the entire foot. You won’t see that familiar half-moon image left by people with functioning arches.

Not me. No arch. Never had one. Never will.

So this means that anytime I’m trying to find balance on one foot, I have to compensate for my foot’s natural tendency to roll inward. It doesn’t mean that I can’t do the exercise; it just means I have to work a little harder at it. And I always will.

To the outside observer, this exercise may seem like a piece of cake. They may look at me and wonder why it takes me so long to get started, and why it takes me longer to do my reps.

The point: we’re all made differently, and we may have to find our own way to get to the same result. Just a piece of awareness to carry about ourselves, and about those around us.

Brian and Balance

This is another Brian column.

As I previously wrote, Brian is a personal trainer. One of the reasons I enjoy my work with him is because of his ability to explain and demonstrate his exercise choices, and the purpose behind them. Sometimes his explanations have such profound applications outside of the gym that I interrupt our workouts to write down his wisdom. Examples:

“Hold on to your center when the ground is shaking and forces are pulling you.”

Brian loves to work on balance. He will take a standard exercise, then add something extra: deep squats on a balance platform, free-weight arms curls while balancing on one leg, chest presses while sitting on an exercise ball.
The key to these exercises is finding your center. It means turning your focus and awareness inward. When you are aware of your center, you know when you are being pulled off balance and how to regain your footing.

“Resistance will not hold you back if you are sure where you are going. Resistance can work for you and with you.”

Another balance exercise. Brian has me stand on a “Bosu ball" --the name means "both sides united." This hemispherical rubber dome has less stability than sand. After I find my center and can maintain an upright position, he hands me these “resistance bands” (like oversized rubber bands or elasticized jump ropes) and has me slowly pull away from him, while he pulls in the opposite direction.
The interesting thing is if I pull too hard, I totally lose my balance and fall off the Bosu. And if I don’t pull hard enough, I totally lose my balance and fall off the Bosu.
The point: resistance is not always a negative force. Resistance can help you stand tall, support you and force you to find and maintain your center.

A recent article in The Washington Post offers a more complete look about the benefits of balance in exercise:

At Any Age, It Makes Sense to Keep Yourself in Balance

By Brittney Johnson, Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 12, 2008; HE01

"There are times in your life when feeling a little off-balance may actually be a good thing. Take it from the experts..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/09/AR2008080901280.html

Lucky for me, I was ahead of the curve, thanks to Brian.