Flexibility and balance

Flexibility and balance are often taken for granted. But without them, your fitness efforts may be compromised. Find some balance:

By Debbie Hickey
eDiets Contributor
Get help losing weight with eDiets

Flexibility and balance are critical factors in achieving your peak physical potential, but they are overlooked many times. It's all about "pumping iron." Often I hear, "Flexibility and balance? I'm fine in those departments." Don't be so sure.

On a scale of 1–10, how would you rate your balance and flexibility? Be honest. Think they're pretty good? Try these simple tests. For balance, try to put your pants on without sitting on the edge of the bed. Don't hold on to anything either. How'd you do? Not as balanced as you thought?

Getting fit will have a huge impact on all areas of your life! Are you ready to get in great shape fast? eDiets can help you get there. Sign up for one of our 24 personalized plans -- you won't need a gym or fancy equipment -- just eDiets -- click here. to get started TODAY!

Now for flexibility... After warming up, sit on the floor and reach toward your toes, keeping your back straight. How far did you get? If you reached your toes or beyond, that's great! If not, you need to work on flexibility.

Flexibility assists our joints in moving freely through a full range of motion. In our daily lives, this enables us to tie our shoes with greater ease, or comfortably reach for things.

Whether you need to get on a ladder to change a light bulb or catch a ground ball, you need strength in the core muscles, which include the abs and lower back.

Today, more than half the population over the age of 74 has difficulty performing activities of daily living, such as standing, walking, bending, reaching, grasping and climbing stairs. Don't let that be your fate! Here are some suggestions to help you get limber and balanced.

To improve your flexibility, stretch. Daily stretching is recommended, but if that isn't possible, you should at least stretch all the muscle groups worked after each workout. Perform 2–3 stretches per group and hold each one for 15–30 seconds. Always stretch to the point of mild tension, never pain.

Stretching can also help alleviate chronic pain and discomfort. The lower back is a great example. Most often, low back pain is caused by tight hamstrings. Tight hamstrings can cause an exaggeration in the curve of the back, which leads to back pain. eDiets fitness plan provides stretches for every muscle group. Use them often!

Use free weights. Machines provide artificial stabilization of the core muscles. That's not to say that there isn't a place for machines in your workout. But, if you use them on a regular basis, change it up. Working with free weights forces your core muscles to stabilize your body as you isolate the muscle group you're working on.

Get rid of the weight belt. Yup, that's right! Unless you're a power lifter in need of additional assistance to offset an extreme load, the weight belt that you've been using for years could actually be doing you more harm than good. Your body has been relying on the belt's external support, and, as a result, your abdominal muscles have not been doing their job in stabilizing the body during your workouts.

If you've been using a belt, don't just quit cold turkey. Wean yourself off by incorporating core exercises into your workouts, then gradually decrease use of the belt as the core muscles get stronger.

The fitball is an excellent tool for strengthening the abs and lower back. For variety, you can even perform a full-body workout on the fitball.

Try yoga. You guys may think that yoga is only for the ladies, but that isn't the case. Yoga not only makes you more flexible but also improves your balance, because so much of the work requires core strength.

Veteran singer and musician Sting has been practicing yoga for years, and it hasn't just made him more flexible and healthier -- he also says it's improved his sex life! But that's another topic altogether.