Try this simple test. Stand on one leg for one minute with your eyes closed without losing your balance? If your senses are operating properly you should be able to. Many people can do this one-legged stunt with their eyes open, but I am more interested in your ability to balance without your sense of vision. This sixth sense is your proprioception, your ability to tell where your body is in space.



This additional sense is your mind/body/spacial awareness, also called propriocaeption and it tell you where your body is in relation to the space around it. It is the same system that makes you flinch if a ball is flying at your head or you step off of a step that is lower than you visually anticipated. It is also these same nerves that help you find your way in the dark or in disorienting situations, like finding your way to your theater seat after the movie has started and the lights are dim. Next time you are at the movies, notice how younger people move through the dark as opposed to older people.

As we get older this system is less responsive, mostly because we don't use it. It's the old axiom, "Use it or Lose it".

Children have very responsive proprioception. Kids can balance one-legged easily and for long periods of time. But as we age, we rely more on our other more basic senses, like our eye sight, to keep us steady. This causes our proprioception to go to sleep, so to say. This is why older people shuffle along and also why they fall down.

When we have an artificial hip it is important to have good balance so that we don't fall down and reinjure ourselves or our device.

Having good balance will aid in core strength. Think of when you ride a bicycle. This activity requires you to balance (to not fall) and will keep your abdominals, or your core, toned. Try to challenge your balance at least once a day, maybe while waiting in line at the grocery store or while washing dishes or brushing your teeth. Stand on one leg for as long as you can manage, keeping your hand near a close-by chair or counter.

Balance is a very responsive system. Within a week or so, you should notice that you are able to hold steady appreciably longer.

If you have older parents, have them do the same exercise, holding onto the back of a sturdy chair until they become steady with practice.

Balance is a component of fitness, just like stength training and cardio workouts. Balance becomes increasingly important for us to remain active and moving briskly rather than shuffling and wobbling as we move.

It will also come in handy just in case you happen to find yourself teetering on the ledge of a cliff and find it imperative that you remain steady.