Your health: A balancing act

Finding balance

Many simple, effective exercises can be done almost anytime and anywhere to target static balance and dynamic balance. Here are few suggestions from Jean Gutierrez, an assistant professor of exercise science at George Washington University, says The Washington Post:

Ÿ Take the stairs, whenever possible, which strengthens leg and other muscles that are crucial for good balance.

Ÿ While watching television, practice standing on one foot with your eyes open for as long as you can during a commercial break. At the next break, do the same with the other foot. Once you can make it through an entire break without stumbling, try it with your eyes closed, making sure to stand near a wall or a stable piece of furniture, just in case.

Ÿ While brushing your teeth, try balancing on tiptoe. Once you've mastered that, try standing on the back of your heels.

Ÿ To simulate a balance beam, try walking on raised curbs instead of the flat sidewalk (although not too close to heavy traffic).

Ÿ Hold a heavy shopping basket while you're waiting in line at the grocery store, switching arms every 30 to 60 seconds. For more advanced training, stand on one foot while shifting the basket from arm to arm every 15 seconds; switch legs every time you move forward.

A mental block?

When the going gets tough, sometimes the tough make embarrassing last-minute mistakes, according to The Washington Post.

In her book, “Choke” (Free Press, $15), newly available in paperback, psychologist Sian Beilock examines the mental forces that drive golfers to miss easy putts, cause businessmen to bungle presentations and may have caused you to nuke yourself during that Mario Cart match against your housemates last weekend.

Her recommendations: Don't psych yourself out. “Choking can occur when people think too much about activities that are usually automatic,” she writes. But don't relax too much, either. “People also choke when they are not paying enough attention to what they are doing and rely on simple or incorrect routines.”

Don't get hung up on your mistakes. And don't be afraid to practice in pressure-filled circumstances.

One do: Keep a diary. “Writing about worries and stressful events in your life can help free up your working memory,” Beilock writes.