"External" for balance but at a price

 

"EXTERNAL" STRATEGIES FOR KEEPING YOUR BALANCE? (BUT AS WE AGE, THE WHEREWITHAL STRENGTH TO USE THEM DISSIPATES) As we age, we gradually lose our ability to balance because we lose "external" muscle strength, vision and sensory perception. I have felt the "INTERNAL" movement to keep balance kick in over 20 years of doing Classical Tai Chi. Researchers say we use these "external strategies," but what do/can you use if you become proficient in the "internal discipline" of the core? All of these "EXTERNAL MOVEMENTS" happen, and you are hardly aware of what you do. None of these use the body core, also known as the internal discipline to keep balance. So, unbeknownst to us and unaware, we resort to "external" movement. Yet, although you aren't aware, your core stabilizes your body, allowing you to move in any direction, even on the bumpiest terrain, or stand in one spot without losing your balance. What if you can improve your core movement by getting more proficient with your "internal discipline"? Viewed this way, it can lessen your risk of falling. Keep in mind that everyone at times accidentally begins to lose their balance.

HERE'S WHY I SAY "EXTERNAL STRATEGIES" "The researchers say we start to lose balance, then follow one of three strategies to keep from falling. All are attempts at getting our center of gravity back over our base of support. The "ANKLE STRATEGY." Ankle strategy works for minor upsets. We shift our center of gravity backward or forward by rotating our body around the ankle joints to bring it back over the support base. As an unsteady person, you may find yourself doing this while waiting in line or standing still for a long time. The "HIP STRATEGY." Hip strategy helps avoid the more serious upsets. We move the hips one way or the other to regain balance. When we bend the knees to brush our teeth or wash our hands, we shift the hips over our base of support. We may also find ourselves shifting our hips at more difficult times, as when we begin to tip sideways or perhaps when we are blinded, as in taking a polo shirt off our heads. The "STEPPING STRATEGY". The stepping strategy occurs when we stumble or are pushed backward. We take several quick steps forward to get steady."

"What if this guy is right and I can get proficient at "internal movement," won't I have the "two birds" in one hand that way?

Charles Press and Donald H. Blough. BALANCE. Xlibris. Kindle Edition.