The colder seas have pushed paddleboarding to the back-burner for the past few months and so I've wanted to find some other activities to learn, which primarily would help with balance and coordination and be good fun!
Toys not just for boys
The first toy I saw that looked like it would help my paddleboarding whilst I wasn't on the water was this Amazon basics balance board.
We need to talk about that ankle pronation
The boards are less than 30 euros, take up little space, and boast (well, it's other people like me and the gym goat who are boasting) health benefits such as improved balance and coordination, stronger lower legs and ankles, increased motor skills, injury prevention, improved posture and more!
I don't think it took more than a week or so to get to grips with standing on one or both legs with legs straight. Just holding the position, especially on one leg, is a good exercise but the real effort comes when you start trying to squat. The board tends to wobble as I lower and pretend to sit on the invisible chair behind, and the legs start burning after only a few minutes.
From my home office, I've been walking past and jumping on the board most days since I made the purchase and would totally recommend to anyone. However, there are other types of balance boards, and I was pretty keen to get hold of one of these too.
Last thing here... looking at the GIF above, what do you think my pronation range is?
source
Aged less than 10 and in lots of pain daily from running after a football, a doctor suggested both my ankles be broken and reset. I declined!
Like surfing on dry land?
Another popular balance board shape looks more similar to a surf (or paddle) board, and through a bit of luck I got the POWRX for a pretty penny just before Christmas. The board was priced at 60 euros in early December, with a 50% discount available and so I ordered one as a Christmas present for a friend. A week passed and Amazon told me they'd not heard from the supplier, so I cancelled the order and bought another. They both arrived the same day, and thus far the refunded one has not made it back into the postbox.... feliz cumpleaños para mi!
Anyway! Here I am on my newest board with my PJ bottoms and a clue as to what other toy I may have been playing with the last few months - more on that in the future perhaps!
He's wearing those fluffy socks with the grippy bobbles, the cheat!
This board, whist generally more expensive than the circular 'wobble' board efforts, has become my favourite of the two pretty quickly. Although the GIFs in this post don't show this (cause I want to get better before presenting!), it is possible to stand in a surf position, and perform a fair few tricks - which I'll let someone else show you!
I am hoping all this indoor balancing will further improve my paddleboarding, as well as contributing towards good health in general. This maybe well depend on what else I choose to couple with the board - I'm not sure Expresso Martini's quite fit into the health kick I'm on at present - this was prior to dry January!
One HIVE to the person who correctly identifies the blue object on the far left of the table at the window!
Both boards have been in use today - the circular one works well for press-ups I've found.
Has anyone been using a balance board, and if so, what have your motives been and are you having a good time there?!
Cheers
Asher