It’s time to come in from the playground and start a new chapter of the Lifehacker Fitness Challenge. For July, we’re back to something you can do in the shade, in any spare moment you might have: balance exercises.
We’ll start with balancing on one foot. To keep it simple, just see how long you can stand on one foot. If you can do more than 30 seconds, try making it harder by:
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Folding your arms across your chest
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Closing your eyes
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Standing on a less stable surface (like a squishy carpet instead of a hardwood floor)
As always, please know your limits and stay safe.
Balancing on one foot can be difficult, and if you’re not ready for the challenges above, there are ways to make balancing easier. Try:
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Holding onto a chair or other solid support
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Touching the wall with one finger, if you just need a bodily reminder of where you are in space
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Keeping a toe of your free foot on the ground
I picked up a variation of that last one from a kids’ yoga video.
In place of tree pose, which typically has you place the sole of your foot on the side of your standing leg, the instructor asked kids to keep the ball of their foot on the floor and place their heel onto their standing foot.
Even my little ones were able to do it after a few tries, so give that a shot if tree pose tends to leave you stumped.
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