Balancing act

Improving your physical balance can bring a sense of strength and steadiness to both body and mind.

- EVA-MARIA BOBBERT

We spend our lives trying to find balance and it's a constant challenge. That's because our sense of balance is fundamental to how we live - it affects the way we move through the world, both physically and mentally. "Creating steadiness in the body has a reciprocal effect on the mind," says Louise West, personal yoga instructor and yoga coach on new fitness app, Drip. "Balance, strength, focus and grounded energy are energetic states of being we infuse into our body during yoga practice. We then walk into our day with these qualities with us. First in the body, then in the mind."

If you think your physical balance is steady, try standing on one leg for a minute with eyes closed. "We come into the world unsteady on our feet and it's not something we can take for granted," says Louise. "As we age we lose muscle tone and tendon quality, and balance is also affected by our sight and inner ear. To maintain balance, our brains need to integrate and process the inputs from all these systems."

Our sense of balance begins to deteriorate naturally in our mid-20s and scientists have discovered that poor balance offers predictive clues on everything from mental health (it's linked to dementia) to mortality (increased risk of stroke). A new study suggests that if you can't stand on one leg for 10 seconds in middle to later life, your risk of death from any cause within 10 years is doubled. The good news?