Finding Your Center: The Importance of Balance in Life and Tips for Achieving It
Falling is the number one catalyst to sharp declines in health in the elderly. Therefore, it is only reasonable that maintaining our balance, and thus preventing the likelihood of falling, is essential to living a long and healthy life. Many of my clients are shocked that they have a hard time balancing on one foot with their eyes closed for 10 seconds. And these are not my older clients. These are my 60, 50, and 40 year olds. The simple truth is that our balance does decline with aging and if we are not training our balance, we will lose it.
You may ask, why does balance decline with age? To answer that we need to understand a little more about balance. The human body is very intricate and relies on multiple systems in order to establish balance and physical equilibrium. To simplify it though, balance is essentially made up of 3 components: vision, vestibular system, and proprioception. Proprioception is defined as “the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself”. Simply put it is our “body awareness” that we receive from our joints, tendons, and muscles. The vestibular system lives in the inner ear and is about the size of a quarter. The vestibular system contains canals, bones, crystals, fluid, and specialized hairs and cells that sense our head position. Vision is our ability to interpret our surroundings through our eyes. All three of these systems are subject to age-related degeneration. A certain degree of that degeneration is a normal part of living life. However, there are many things that we can do to prevent the decline of these systems in order to maintain our balance into old age.
Vision
The eyes are the windows to our health. Make sure to stay up to date with your optometry visits and keep prescriptions accurate. Not only will your optometrist be able to help with your vision, but can detect early signs of high blood pressure and diabetes.
Vestibular System
Vestibular issues can often be the result of an underlying illness, infection, or head trauma. It is imperative that the underlying issue is identified and treated. If you are suffering from symptoms of a vestibular disorder such as vertigo, dizziness, nausea/vomiting, and hearing loss then you should contact your physician immediately.
There is also a common diagnosis known as vestibular hypofunction which is essentially a slow reaction time of your vestibular system which makes you feel like you have poor balance and equilibrium. A physical therapist can help you with exercises that will work on improving your vestibular acuity through training quick head movements and working on your static and dynamic balance.
Proprioception
Out of the three components of balance, this is the one that is the most plastic and susceptible to the reversal of age-related changes. We can improve our proprioception through improvements in our physical strength, stability, and flexibility. A physical therapist and/or a regular strength training routine can help you grow within these areas.
This is also where cross-training and learning new sports/activities throughout our lifespan (whether it be picking up stand-up paddleboarding, learning how to swing dance, rock climbing, etc.) can help our bodies to adapt quickly when balance is required.
Again, if you don’t train your balance, you will lose it. So let’s be the generation that keeps their balance into old age!
Shannon Hall, PT, DPT
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3259492/
https://www.uclahealth.org/news/balance-begins-to-decline-as-early-as-age-50
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6873344/
What kind of shoes will help with my balance?
I’ve been known to call most shoes “foot prisons.” The typical shoe on the market doesn’t do our feet justice. They are too narrow and do not match the shape of a foot. This leads to tons of issues, like foot pain, bunions, injuries, reduced feedback from your feet, and weak feet.
My focus today is going to be on the everyday shoe, rather than talking specifically about running, squatting, or other specific shoes. However, a lot of the information will overlap.
Why do I call shoes “foot prisons”?
Our natural feet are wide, strong, and sensitive to changes in terrain. Even though some people are born flat-footed, most people would develop the strength in their feet to support their arches if they were barefoot.
Shoes on the market are too narrow (yes, even the “wide” shoes out there). They do not match the shape of a foot. The cushions are typically too soft, which will take away the feedback your foot is supposed to get from the ground.
Think about it this way; do you think you would have better balance and support with a wide base or a narrow base? Of course it is a wide base. If your shoes are too narrow, then your metatarsals and toes will be pushed together.
Would you feel more comfortable in a straight jacket or in a shirt that “fits like a glove”? Why do we cram our feet into poorly fitting shoes? To find out if your shoe resembles the shape of your foot, take out the sole and stand on it. If your foot exceeds the barriers of the sole, then it is not wide enough or shaped properly for your foot.
Would you have more control standing on a firm surface or when standing on foam? Foam is squishy and is actually what we use to throw off someone’s balance in physical therapy. Why would you want to walk around on thick foam all day, every day when you can use the ground and your feet for support?
Most shoes are rigid, although some are pretty flexible. Your feet are meant to be flexible and strong. Your shoe should allow for plenty of movement of the big toe for proper walking and running mechanics.
Okay, we talked a lot about why I don’t like most shoes, but what other options exist?
Footwear is getting better, sort of. Many cross training shoes are flat and rigid, but still miss out on a lot of what your feet need.
Barefoot shoes are becoming more popular. In fact, the most ancient shoes were barefoot, so maybe it’s more of a comeback?
Barefoot shoes match the shape of the foot and allow your feet to get strong and resilient to injuries. Some great options are:
Vivobarefoot
Xero Shoes
Feelgrounds
Bearfoot
Personally, I have owned about 5 pairs of Vivobarefoot shoes and LOVE THEM. I’m sure the other brands are great, as I have heard positive feedback from people I trust. Maybe one day I will try out the other brands, but I have no complaints with my Vivo’s.
Random thought to share: I am considering becoming a Vivobarefoot affiliate, which would allow me to provide discount codes to our clients and readers. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, let me know and I will start that process!
Can you wear barefoot shoes for running, walking, exercise, etc?
Absolutely! These shoes are designed to keep you moving. You will want to slowly get used to them as you start training in them.
I use them often, but not always when doing CrossFit or running. While there are tons of benefits for most people, I am one of those that suffers from limited ankle mobility. The 4mm heel to toe drop in my cross training shoes gives me just enough to keep proper form with my deep squats. I have completed runs in Vivobarefoot running shoes, but they are not my go to for a long run. I still prefer to run in minimalist-style shoes, but the changes in my feet from over 30 years of soft shoes has left me uncomfortable running long distances (over 3 miles for me) in my Vivo’s.
Who should wear barefoot shoes?
The short answer is EVERYONE. There may be certain circumstances where you want to avoid them, but most people can benefit from wearing barefoot shoes every day for casual activities, including work. You should also try to spend as much time without shoes and socks on as possible.
Who should not wear barefoot shoes?
If you already have pain in your foot, a severe injury, or just had a surgery, then you should consult with a healthcare professional before changing up your footwear. You should first transition your everyday shoe to a barefoot shoe before trying to run and exercise in a barefoot shoe. If you are unsure if it is right for you, shoot me an email or a comment below and we can chat about specific recommendations.
Free your feet!
When it comes to squatting, footwear (or lack thereof) is an important thing to consider. I see people squat in weightlifting shoes, cross training shoes, running shoes, minimalist/barefoot shoes, and without shoes. Which is best?
The answer to this question depends on your goals and your purpose for squatting.
Here is a very brief overview of the differences between the above mentioned footwear. Keep in mind that different brands will have slight variations from the information below.
Weightlifting Shoes
~20 mm heel to toe drop
Stiff, non-compressible sole
Flat surface
Narrow toe box
Cross Training Shoes
~4 mm heel to toe drop
Stiff sole (not quite as firm as weightlifting shoes)
Mostly flat surface
Wider toe box (wider than weightlifting and running shoes, but more narrow than barefoot shoes)
Running Shoes
~8-12 mm heel to toe drop
Soft, cushioned, compressible sole
Rounded surface (intended to shift weight forward)
Slightly narrow toe box
Minimalist/Barefoot Shoes
0 mm heel to toe drop
Typically a thin rubber sole
Flat surface
Wide toe box (wider than all other options)
Squatting barefoot (no shoes at all) offers the benefits of gaining more feedback from the ground compared to any pair of shoes, rooting your foot to the ground to build up strength in the intrinsic foot muscles, and better balance. You are in control of your body and you direct the squat.
If you have great ankle mobility, squatting barefoot may be for you. If you lack adequate ankle mobility, you will benefit from squatting in a shoe with a greater heel to toe drop in order to maintain proper balance and positioning in the bottom of a squat. In fact, they build weightlifting shoes with such an aggressive heel to toe drop in order to help with positioning in the bottom of the squat. Squatting barefoot will lead to an increased forward torso angle, whereas squatting in weightlifting shoes and/or with great ankle mobility will lead to a more upright chest/torso squat (which will take pressure off of your back). If you are a high-barbell back squat, front squat, or overhead squat, you will need a more upright torso and barefoot squatting will make this more challenging. If you are performing a low-barbell back squat, which has a more forward torso angle, then squatting barefoot may still allow you to reach parallel without sacrificing your form.
Another consideration is your training session. Are you just squatting or are you performing other exercises? For instance, it is very difficult to do a CrossFit workout barefoot. It is also very difficult to do a CrossFit workout in weightlifting shoes. Cross trainers were built to give a slight heel to toe drop to help with squats while offering a solid platform for running short distances, jumping, and other lifts. If you are performing squats in isolation or as a part of a warm-up, barefoot squatting becomes an option. I am a big supporter of learning how to squat barefoot prior to loading up the movement with shoes on. For some with ankle mobility restrictions or the lack of being able to maintain a strong base with the foot (arch raised, toes gripping the floor), then this may not be the right first step. Even if you decide to wear shoes for your squats, it is worth doing barefoot squats as a warm-up to work on mobility, stability, and form in a natural way.
Give it a try and let us know how you do. If you haven’t trained barefoot squats before, I bet you will be surprised and notice a big difference. Just because weightlifting shoes give you the largest heel to toe drop does not mean that they are the best things for your feet while squatting.