The number of retirees that are taking control of their health and joining fitness centers is growing every year. In this installment we will look at how a traditional senior fitness program affects your balance. The chief reason people go to the health club is because their daily lives don't provide enough movement to keep them in good shape. The various machines at the club help fill that activity void. Since we don't have very much time, we try to fit an entire day's worth of movement into an hour or two at the fitness center. Walk on this. Pedal that. Pull this down. Press that up. Go home.

The only problem is that when you use machines for cardio and strength training, you are leaving out one crucial ingredient--balance. Think about the treadmill. You are walking, but you are also holding tightly onto the handles to keep you balanced. There are no curbs or potholes to dodge, no rabid dogs to get away from, just you in a perfectly controlled and unchallenging environment. How about a typical exercise bike? What are the chances that it might tip over? I would say about slim to none. As far as balance goes, most exercise bikes are about as demanding as lying on the couch. What about strength machines? Almost all of them require you to sit during use. Some even have seat belts (why don't they include cup holders while they're at it).

You get the idea. If you use these machines like many seniors do, you may become strong, and you may improve your endurance, and I think that's great. Unfortunately, they won't do much for your balance. Having strong muscles and good endurance without good balance is like having a truck that has four hundred horsepower and gets fifty miles per gallon but tips over every time you turn a corner.

That's why you need to train your balance with balance exercises. Better balance will enhance the benefits of both strength and cardio training. In just ten minutes a day, you can train your sense of balance to keep it in shape or even improve it. You can do balance exercises at your health club or in your home whenever it's convenient for you.

Stay tuned for Part 4 where we'll take a closer look at balance exercises.

Mike Ross
Author of "The Balance Manual"
balance-exercises.com

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