Month #1 - Week #4 - Balance

Month #1 Week #4

Our Monthly Attribute for December is: Flexibility

Welcome to our fourth and final week of this month to work on our Flexibility.

By now, we should really be seeing some progress! We have this final week to solidify our gains and to finalize the creation of our habit regarding a daily Flexibility routine. Remember again… Consistency is paramount! We've worked hard to get here and this attribute, in particular, is one that is especially susceptible to loss without practice. Ignoring this attribute is simply not an option as long as we want to remain active & functionally sufficient (able to take care of ourselves).

As a special focus on Flexibility this week three, we will again:

• Start each session with some dynamic mobility movements.
• Pay special attention throughout class on movement quality and note deficiencies requiring special attention. 
• End each session with Yoga inspired movements with a mind towards individual modifications as needed.
• We will wrap up on Friday with a repeat of our baseline tests we began the month with to quantify the progress we've gained:
• Senior Fitness "Chair Sit and Reach"  
• Senior Fitness "Back Scratch" 
• FMS Single Leg Raise
• FMS Squat Assesment
• Trunk Rotation Test.

Our Weekly Attribute for Week #4 is: Balance

The attribute of Balance is one of the most important facets of a successful program for our age group.The types of work and play that are requisite for maintaining our balance through the years are often neglected for decades at a time. We need to work on this forgotten skill until we again feel comfortable enough to utilize our balance in a variety of tasks we may be called upon in our daily lives. i.e. - Putting on a pair of socks without sitting.

This week we will be engaging our balance skills through various stepping routines, walking lines, hopping tests, single foot drills, obstacle courses and various lunging & twisting challenges.

Your "Lifestyle Application" of Balance

The attribute of balance is best challenged through activities that fall into the realm of "play" and the list is long:

• Riding a Bike
• Ice Skating
• Roller Skating
• Roller Blading
• Skateboarding
• Skiing
• Surfing
• Wind Surfing
• Stand Up Paddleboard
• Water Skiing
• Dancing
• Slack Lining
• Yoga

And while these activities incorporate our balance in their execution, as a lifestyle, we can always be mindful to challenge ourselves to look for opportunities to test our balance. We can, for example, work our balance throughout our day by standing on one foot while in line at the bank or tackling that balance beam we come across while walking in a park or playground. Perhaps in tying our shoes or putting on our socks (After practice and with all safety in mind, of course!). I'd LOVE to hear any of your additional recommendations on how to utilize our sense of balance on a daily basis.

Our Three Daily Attributes This Week

Our challenge here will again, without question, be one of time management! So much to get to!

• On Monday (day 1), Agility - Bringing out the agility ladder once more... Plan on single leg hops and holds.
• On Wednesday (day 2), We will touch on the attribute of Power - Jumping, high steps, throwing & kicking will most likely be in store.
• On Friday (day 3) - Accuracy - For accuracy and balance we'll have some time with the obstacle course and we'll make sure to have time to wrap up our month of Flexibility with our metrics tests.