Balance Board Benefits with Beginner Exercises

“Balance board benefits” sounds like a weird thing to say, doesn't it? While you hear a lot about various office furniture and accessories, such as an adjustable standing desk or an office chair, whoever talks about a balance board? 

First, what is a balance board? Put simply, it's a fitness tool that is designed to improve strength, coordination, and balance. When you look at it, you may not think it does very much, but it's very effective in promoting the overall health of your body. 

It's very beginner-friendly and does not require a high fitness level to get started. As a matter of fact, you can get a balance board for seniors without having to worry about a serious injury, so long as things start slowly and the board is used correctly. 

Now, you may have several questions on your mind. What muscles does a balance board work? What are balance boards good for? Do balance boards really work? 

Hopefully, you get all the information you need and more by the time you are finished reading. If so, you may feel inclined to purchase a balance board for your standing desk. Should that be the case, there is more than enough information here to set you on the right path. 

First, you are going to start off learning about wobble board benefits and how having one can contribute to your health. From there, there's a list of balance board exercises that you can review and begin to implement in your office environment. 

After seeing all that, you may want to purchase one to take advantage of all the balance board benefits that are revealing themselves to you. There is no need to worry as you are covered where that is concerned too. 

With much research in the mix, be prepared to enjoy browsing through high-level reviews of some of the top balance boards on the market today. It’s all you could ever want to know on the topic. 

One bright side that you may want to know is that these items are typically not as cost-prohibitive as some of the more complex furniture pieces and office accessories in the office space. In other words, if you are heavily concerned about affordability, there's no need for you to be. 

Benefits of a Balance Board for Your Health

Not all balance boards are built equal, so you may not get the same experience described here if you choose a model that's not listed. Once you get a well-built one though, there is nothing to worry about.  

The first balance board benefit is the cultivation and development of your core muscles. There are not many things more essential to your stability, strength, and functionality than your core. This region includes your obliques, abductors and adductors, lower back muscles, glutes, and abdominal muscles. 

It not only does a strong core provide stability and strength, but it can also significantly help reduce lower back pain. 

Balance boards help you to create better posture too. When you look in the office space, expect to see people hunching all the time. This can contribute to the development of weak skeletal muscles. However, with the deep muscle strengthening in the torso that a balance board provides, you get a sturdier foundation, which helps you to maintain a stronger posture. 

Ankle and knee joint rehabilitation is another benefit. The core weakness described above can lead to poor movement efficiency, which can result in various injuries, such as those of the ACL. 

Even if not for the office space, you could use the balance board before going out for a run if you want to further reduce your risk of causing any damage to your body. 

You also get the benefit of working muscle groups you probably don't pay attention to. Even if you work out regularly enough, your routine may ignore a lot of small muscles that help with your stability. 

A balance board is likely going to force you to start putting them to work, creating some tremendous results in the process. 

The final balance board benefit to be covered here is that of agility improvement. It's so convenient and efficient to be able to switch from one position to the next quickly without messing up your equilibrium in the process. This is also a benefit that helps you to prevent unwanted injuries. 

These are not necessarily the only balance board benefits, but it's a great base of information to get you started and to help you understand why investing in one is a great idea. 

List of Balance Board Exercises

Basic Balance

Think of this as one of the fundamental movements associated with owning a balance board. Practice and master it before you transition to more complex sequences. 

To begin, you want to place your feet hip-width apart on your balance board. Doing this should position both just about on the outer edges of the unit. As you are doing this, ensure that your spine is neutral, and your posture remains upright. 

Since your brain is actively involved in balance exercises, you may want to anchor its focus for greater assistance. To this end, concentrate on a focal point directly in front of you. You may also put your arms at your sides in front of you to help with the balance. 

Shift your weight ever so slightly and attempt to maintain a position in which none of the edges of the board touch the floor. This is your active position. You want to hold it for 30 seconds. 

Side-to-side Rock

Now, you must exercise a little bit more control than it takes to just hold the balance board in a single position. As the subheading implies, you are going to begin your first rocking motion here. 

Again, your positioning is going to have your legs be hip-width apart from each other, which means having one leg on each outer side. Simply tilt the board to your left and then to the right. 

The real challenge here comes in the amount of control you must exercise as you do the movement. Everything should be slow and under control, and you are expected to continue tilting from side to side for 30 seconds. 

You may find it easier to have your hands at your side here, as opposed to putting them in front of you. 

Front-to-Back

The front-to-back motion is much like the side-to-side motion with one small difference. Here, you're going to be tilting your board forward until it touches the floor in front of you and then backward until it touches the floor behind you. 

The stability here is not what it is with the side-to-side tilt, so you may find putting your arms out in front of you to be a bit more forgiving and potentially even necessary here. Alternatively, it's perfectly fine to keep your hands at your sides if that makes you more comfortable. 

Again, everything needs to be done slowly and under control, and you want to keep up the tilting for about 30 seconds. 

Push-ups

Even if you are decent at pushups, the balance board variation can introduce a new challenge, targeting your triceps, chest, and core. Get into your pushup position with your hands on the balance board just a bit wider than shoulder-width apart. 

Your feet should be outstretched, and the closer they are, the more difficult the exercise becomes. A wider stance translates to greater stability. Look forward and tighten your core. 

From this starting position, bend your elbows, lowering yourself as far as possible without losing the straight line in your body. Pause briefly and return to your starting position. You want to do five to 10 reps. 

Glute Bridge

Doing this exercise targets your core, glutes, and your hamstrings. Lay on your back with your feet pointing towards the balance board. You want your knees bent and your arms at your side. 

Now, lift both feet and place them on the balance board. If you are doing this correctly, it's the soles of your feet that are touching the unit. 

Tighten your glutes and press your heels into the balance board as you lift your hips off the floor, going as high as possible in a controlled and balanced manner. Keep the glutes squeezed and hold the position for a few seconds before slightly lowering your body to the floor. Complete 10 to 15 reps of this. 

Which Balance Board Should You Choose?

1. Autonomous Balance Board

With all the attention Autonomous has paid to developing ergonomic furniture to maintain office health, It's no surprise that it boasts one of the best balance boards on the market in the form of the flow board. 

The idea here is to bolster productivity, muscle memory, and energy output. Get all the stimulation you need in the form of muscular micro-movements on a board that comes in black or red to appeal to your aesthetic needs. 

It doesn't feel like you're doing a workout when you use it passively while working, but it can feel like a workout when you want it to. Even when you're doing nothing but standing, it's activating your core. 

The materials are durable and long-lasting, and Autonomous designed this unit to be very multifaceted. Enjoy greater stabilization and fight clumsiness with 360 degrees of movement, a stand, and a perfect form factor. 

2. Revbalance FIT Balance Board

The Revbalance FIT Balance Board was designed with next-level workouts in mind. Watch your routine get exciting with a three-in-one balance training system. It features an air cushion, rocker, and roller, allowing you to adjust your difficulty range and target muscle groups more precisely. 

Note that Durasoft foam grip is very durable, but it provides comfort whether you are using shoes or not. Additionally, the heavy-duty construction can bear a staggering 450 pounds, which is great news for those who may be on the heavier side of the spectrum. 

3. Revbalance Focus Standing Desk Balance Board

The next item, which comes from the same manufacturer, is the Revbalance standing desk balance board, which is more suited to those who want something to use in the office space to enjoy a passive workout that helps to maintain greater function. 

Enjoy the Duragrip top deck that provides stability and compatibility with any kind of shoe you can imagine, even if you happen to be wearing heels. The rebounding bumpers are quiet and help to keep your floor scratch-free. 

Again, Revbalance opted for a 450-pound weight limit here. 

4. URBNFit Balance Board

The final entry on the list is another of the best designs you can find, and it comes in the form of the URBNFit Wooden Balance Board Trainer. It's suited to all kinds of exercises ranging from beginning to expert movements. 

Thanks to a blend of pine and poplar wood, you get a visually pleasing classic balance board design that has a ton of sturdiness and durability to offer. 

Note that the top surface features textured emery tape, which means there is a lot of grip to take advantage of. Therefore, whether you're standing, sitting, or going through a whole workout, you should have no problem maintaining a stable foundation. 

Final Remarks

As you can see, being underrated and under-discussed does not necessarily translate to underperforming. The balance board benefits, alongside the other information you saw above, can tremendously attest to that. 

This is probably a good time to say that the exercises that you saw are not exhaustive in the least. While you are not advised to jump over to some of the most advanced desk exercises as a beginner, feel free to research further to find out about other movements that you can use to improve your function and coordination. 

Getting in a little workout as you work is always a plus since you get to use one time slot to tackle two necessities simultaneously. The best part is you don't need to worry about what board you're going to use and where you're going to get it from. Even that information is already taken care of for you. Now, how do you feel?