Balance and flexibility are a core aspect of your overall fitness. Making stretching and balance exercises a part of your routine can help you on multiple fronts, from reducing the risk of injury to easing stiffness.
Why Balance And Flexibility Are Important
Whether you have type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes, you may experience joint flexibility issues, pain, and stiffness which contribute to mobility problems, affect balance, and increase the risk of falls
Good balance can help you be steadier when you go about your regular activities or even just while walking. For older adults, being flexible and having good balance are invaluable.
Flexibility and balance become even more important in the context of managing diabetes, as exercises and flow movements designed to help this can reduce your risk of injury and falls that may otherwise take time to heal. As a bonus, stretching also helps avoid stiffness and keeps your joints flexible.
Exercise of any kind is also good to help cope with stress better, improves your mood, helps you relax, and may even help you sleep better.
Adults aged 50 and over, particularly those suffering from peripheral neuropathy can see benefits to stability to compensate for some of the loss of sensation in their feet.
Flow Movements & Exercises For Flexibility and Balance
Some forms of exercise are especially beneficial if you’re looking to improve your balance or flexibility. These include:
- Yoga
- Tai Chi
- Pilates
- Dynamic stretches
- Static Stretches
- Walking sideways
- Walking backwards
- Balancing on one leg
Many, like yoga and tai chi are also renowned for their stress busting effects. Balance training can be done daily. Chalk out some time every day to work on this aspect of your fitness – the benefits are well worth it!
References
- https://defeatdiabetes.org/resources/active-and-mindful-lifestyle/physical-activity/stretching/#:~:text=For%20those%20with%20diabetes%2C%20it,to%20falls%20and%20further%20complications.
- https://professional.diabetes.org/sites/professional.diabetes.org/files/media/Stretching_and_Balance_Exercises_English.pdf