A 29-day challenge to improve your balance and build strength

ISLAMABAD, FEB 05 (ONLINE): Al Roker says he wants to improve his balance. So we’re all tackling the important goal with this stability and strength walking plan.
When I was walking with Al Roker and our Start TODAY members through the streets of New York City last month to kick off our 100-Mile Challenge, we got to chatting. Al shared with me his goal of improving his balance while walking — something that every single one of us can benefit from.

So here we are! Thanks to Al, our February workout challenge is focused on improving strength and stability in the body to support you in everyday activities and help you walk more efficiently.
This month we’ll be adding two strength and stability workouts to our walking routine: A 5-minute workout focused specifically on building core strength — the main source of balance in the body — and a full-body balance workout that will challenge your stability and strengthen the lower body and core.

Why is balance training important?
When we walk, lift weights or perform any daily movement (from standing up from a chair to bending down to pick something up), our body recruits stabilizing muscles for balance. These include smaller muscles in your feet and around your ankles, muscles in the front and sides of your hips, and muscles of the core that help with posture and trunk stability. Strengthening these muscles helps to improve our overall body mechanics, allowing us to move more efficiently and reducing risk of pain and injury.

Not to mention that our balance is a reflection of our overall health, especially as we age. In fact, a recent report published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that people who couldn’t stand on one foot for 10 seconds were nearly twice as likely to die in the next 10 years. (The participants researchers analyzed were ages 51 to 75.)
A bonus is that balance training really fires up the core — since it’s the foundation of balance in the body. So by incorporating balance training into your routine you won’t only be stronger and more stable in your daily movements, but you may also feel tighter and
.
5-minute core workout
Work your core in all directions with this quick routine.

Plank
Come onto your hands and knees, opening the hands as wide as the shoulders and the knees as wide as the hips. Pull the abs in and step the feet back to come up into a plank position. Make sure the shoulders stay over the wrists and be mindful not to round or arch the back. Engage the core to keep your back flat. Hold for 10 seconds, rest, and repeat for a total of 3 times.
*Optional: Add resistance band around ankles to make this more challenging.

Pilates roll down
Sit up on the floor with your back straight, shoulders relaxed and down, and your feet resting in front of you, hips-width apart. Bend your knees so that your feet rest flat on the ground. Extend both arms straight out in front of you at shoulder height. Begin rolling your body back toward the ground slowly, rounding your back and neck. Allow your low back to touch the ground first, then your middle back, then your upper back. Lie down on the ground and reach the arms overhead. Then slowly roll back up to the starting position, first peeling your upper back off the ground, then middle back, and finally the lower back. Repeat for 10 reps.
*Optional: Add resistance band around upper thighs to make this more challenging.

Bird dog
Start on all fours with your shoulder over your wrists and hips stacked above the knees. Straighten your left arm out in front of you and your right leg out behind you, balancing on your opposite hand and knee. Hold for a few breaths. For an added challenge, bend your left elbow and your right knee in toward each other until they touch underneath your stomach. Switch sides and repeat using your right arm and left leg. Continue alternating, performing 10 reps on each side.