Regaining a balanced body

In sports science, there is a concept called the SAID principle, which stands for Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand. It basically means that your body gets better at what you make it practice. So if you are always doing the same sport, your nervous system will adapt itself and create the synaptic connections required to become better at that sport. This is why we are how we move.

So if you are like me and want your body to feel and look balanced - you should move in ways that contribute to that.

When do we lose balance?
As children in the 80s, apart from the TV and Atari, we didn't have many "couch potato" pass times. We climbed trees, rode our bikes, went on swings, skipped rope, bounced (remember the pogo stick?), and participated in a variety of activities from dodge ball to playing marbles. Our bodies felt balanced. Then came adulthood: we started spending more time indoors studying, working, talking on the phone, sitting, drinking and eating with friends, etc. and the time we did spend outdoors was mostly driving a car. Sure we maybe jogged or played tennis once a week, but that was nothing compared to what we did as children. Remember the SAID principle? We are how we move. So our posture and gait changed, we became less agile and lost some of our youthful flexibility. Then came stress, a busy life, pregnancies, children, duties and our bodies started feeling "old". We decided to workout and eventually got injured. Sound familiar? This obviously isn't the case for everyone, but many of us have lived through a version of this. In my case, I was active...but still managed to lose balance.

My version of lost balance
In my 20s and early 30s, I ran long distances, did a ton of interval training and was pretty slim. Was I fit? In some ways yes, I was strong and had a lot of endurance. But was I on the path of graceful ageing? Not really - my coordination, body awareness and flexibility - all the things that only worsen with age - were very average. I also had chronic lower back and knee pain. Once again, it's the SAID principle: I worked out the same big muscles over and over in the same ways and the result was lost body balance. Much later, after years of more balanced training, I took a Neuropilates diploma, where I learned that being truly in shape isn't just about gaining muscles, stamina and fitting into a bikini - it's about developing our coordination, proprioception, vestibular (balance) and visual systems as well as achieving good parasympathetic/sympathetic equilibrium. If you work on all these different elements, you will feel, look and age better.

How to achieve balance through movement
The good news is that no matter where you are at today, you can get your body to a more balanced place. Here are some tips to help you achieve this.

Add variety to your workouts
If you are doing a sport where you are always using the same muscles in the same ways over and over again, introduce other activities, the nervous system loves novelty. For example, if you're a runner, add some pilates or a zumba class. Today in Dubai, there are so many new gyms and studios popping up every day, I can't even keep up with them anymore. If you need inspiration, go on www.fittpass.com, they offer cheap daily passes to a large number of fitness establishments in the city. (And they offer WellMamma readers the discount code WELLMAMMA so it's even cheaper for you ladies)

Do activities that keep your body guessing
If you don't have time to workout many times a week or just can't be bothered to organize many different activities, then practice very "complete" sports like yoga, the Tracy Anderson Method, Parkour, martial arts or dancing where you twist, turn, touch your toes, balance on one leg and more. Not only are they less likely to cause injuries, but they also workout more muscles in a bigger variety of different positions and planes of motion than traditional fitness methods. They are amazing for the brain: you will develop body awareness, balance, hand-eye-foot coordination as well as mindfulness.
Add props and use external stimulus
Introducing an external element Any sport that has some sort of ball, racket, club or board is great for this.
If you do Pilates, try doing a reformer or cadillac class, the effort required by your body will be different. If you work out at the gym, try using the Swiss ball, kettle bells, a foam roller, a medecine ball or other such props to challenge yourself.
Move to music
Moving to a beat is very beneficial for your brain and motor cortex. Studies even suggest that listening to enjoyable music (even when you are not moving) stimulates electrical activity in regions of the brain that help coordinate movement, including the supplementary motor area, cerebellum, and ventral premotor cortex.
Bounce
Bouncing and rebounding have become very popular since NASA started using it to help astronauts regain bone and muscle mass after being in space. Like all weight-bearing exercises, it's great for building bone density and a lot of research supports it as one of the most effective ways to activate your lymphatic system. Bouncing also happens to be excellent for your vestibular system.
Workout in nature
Exercising in natural has many of known psychological benefits, but the main one I want to mention here is that performing a movement in an environment that isn't under your control (a rough terrain, snow, waves, wind, obstacles, etc) gives your nervous system and added challenge. It helps develop your reflexes and coordination.