One leg or two?

And so ever so slowly the seasons are beginning to change. I can see the autumnal colours emerging on the leaves of the trees and the flowers in the garden are giving me a final burst of colour.
 
After two weeks away from class, a belated summer break, we can concentrate on regaining and maintaining the remaining strength and balance that slipped away from us during Lockdown.
 
I am ever so aware that when ‘walking indoors’ the stride is shortened and by the time you have taken 3 or 4 good paces you have reached your destination. I am also very aware that people are anxious about their balance and post Lockdown this is the one thing that class participants have spoken to me about is balance.
In class we shift our position from one leg to another- transferring our weight from one foot to another.

What about standing on one leg?

When we do a knee swing or hip swing we are standing on one leg but we may not think about our balance as the working leg is a distraction. The supporting leg is working hard with the body to stop us from falling over. A recent report highlights the need to practice balance, as the more physically active we are the more likely we are to have good balance. So, as you walk up the stairs, turn to reach the kettle, go onto tippy toes to get a mug or reach deep into a cupboard- you are testing your balance- and don’t forget try to stand on one leg a few times each day  - waiting for the kettle to boil is a good one- but please stand on both feet when pouring it out!