Around the age of eight after watching a circus performance, I leapt onto a rolling 50-gallon drum. The intention was to run along ‘balancing’ with this large steel drum, spinning under foot. But instead, I instantly lost my ‘balance’, fell and the heavy drum bounced over my head.

The nerves of my two front teeth sizzled, shattered into a triangular shape. If the dentist hadn’t been able to file them back into shape, I’d have fielded vampire jibes for the rest of my life!

Unlike completing your maximum bench press, ‘balance’ isn’t a very romantic subject. Only a minority of our members can be seen working on it. Yet, without it, your life can be made a misery.

 What causes this loss of balance? A variety of things, starting with an age-related decline, inner ear issues, low blood pressure, medications, vision problems, and nerve damage in the legs. The danger is that, if we fall as a result, we can fracture our bones. Around 84,000 New Zealanders fracture bones each year, at a cost to repair of $30,000 to $50,000. And a lack of regular exercise features heavily in these accidents, often exasperated by poor bone strength – osteoporosis. Women over fifty are particularly prone to osteoporosis, which is highly preventable.

Resistance training is extremely effective in strengthening bones, while also strengthening and toning your muscles. It’s better than a calcium supplement. And regular exercise overall is ‘the best’ way to improve your sense of ‘balance’.

Here are a few suggestions for what you could include in your visits to the club:

Single leg deadlift. Reverse lunges. YOGA class. PILATES class. Treadmill walking. The plank. Side plank. Squats. Stair-climber. Or you can add a small 2-minute ‘balance’ segment at the end of each workout, like standing on one leg for ten-seconds.

Health authorities say that regular exercise is essential. They advise a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-high intensity cardio-activity, such as cycling, classes or fast walking, each week. Then stress that resistance training (like FLEX or the Weight-Room) will help prevent osteoporosis. Oh, and if you are tempted to balance on the side of a 50-gallon drum like me, you had better wear a mouth guard.

This week’s newsletter can be found here