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Move · 2 min

A balance minute at the counter

One hand on the kitchen counter, one foot lifted, thirty seconds a side: balance is a skill, and it can be practised while the toast is in.

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Balance is easy to take for granted until it starts to slip. It is not fixed, though. Like any skill it gets better with a little practice, and the kitchen counter is the safest place to practise it, because it is right there to hold.

The steps

Four small steps,in your own time.

  1. Stand facing the kitchen counter, close enough to rest both hands lightly on it. Wear flat shoes or go barefoot on a non-slip floor.

  2. Shift your weight onto your right foot and lift your left foot just off the floor. Keep your hands on the counter and look at something still in front of you.

  3. Hold for up to thirty seconds, breathing normally, then put the foot down. Swap sides.

  4. When that feels easy, rest only your fingertips on the counter, then one hand. Keep the counter within reach every time.

The reason

Why it helps

Standing on one leg asks the small muscles of the feet, ankles and hips to make constant tiny corrections, and the brain to keep track of where the body is. Practised for a minute most days, these corrections tend to become quicker, which is what helps when you misjudge a step or an uneven path. Tying it to a daily kitchen moment means you do not have to remember it.

A gentle variation

If lifting a foot feels like too much, stand with your feet close together, then with one foot a little in front of the other, holding the counter. These count as balance practice too.

Friends resting after a game, the sea behind them

WE · TRIBE

Try itwith someone.

Do it side by side with someone at the counter and time each other with the kitchen clock. If the person you care for is unsteady, stand close beside them rather than across the room.

Make it a plan in HIVELIVE, with WE

Try it today

Next time you wait for toast or the kettle, hold the counter and stand on one foot for up to thirty seconds a side.

Add it to your day

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