Improve your balance and flexibility in just two weeks with 10 minutes of daily

Hitting 10,000 steps a day is a fitness goal held by many – but a less time consuming alternative, performed lying down, could help improve balance, flexibility and agility in just two weeks, experts say. 

The exercise routine, developed by Japanese scientists, takes just 10 minutes and is performed lying on the ground – with no planks, sit-ups or crunches in sight. 

The regime, which involves tensing specific sets of muscles whilst wiggling the toes is credited with helping to prevent falls in older people. 

And in younger people, it can improve posture and flexibility, warding off the physical signs of aging according to the study published in the journal PLOS One. 

The basic moves are inspired by Pilates, which also focus on balance, posture,  strength and flexibility, but much less strenuous.

Researchers say you can reap the benefits of the routine doing just one minute a day. 

‘Since the weight of the torso accounts for about half of our body weight, controlling it is actually quite difficult, leading to problems such as falls and joint disorders,’ Prof Yoriko Atomi, from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, said.

‘Improving balance not only increases agility but also enhances various motor skills, allowing us to live more comfortably,’ she added. 

Unlike many other strengthening routines, Prof Atomi’s 10 minute regime can be done entirely on the floor – with no push ups, press ups or planks in site 

Given the world’s aging population, preventing falls is paramount. But our sedentary lifestyles, couple with the obesity epidemic seems to be working directly against this. 

But according to Prof Atomi, who has spent decades of muscle adaptation, the best way to do this could be on the floor. 

The 81-year-old professor perfected the routine after suffering from chronic knee and lower back pain for decades. 

Now, it’s an essential part of her morning routine. 

The study followed 17 healthy men, who were randomly assigned to perform the exercise routine every morning, or not, for two weeks.

Their physical fitness was tested at the beginning and end of the study, using sit-ups, a standing long jump, side-to-side leaping and a 50 meter run, during which the degree of ‘sway’ in their torso was measured to assess balance and stability.  

The second phase of the study took 22 participants – men and women – this time testing them in a side-stepping task while assessing how well they were able to control their head, back, pelvis and ankles to stop themselves from overbalancing.

Those who followed the routine for two weeks showed greater improvements in flexibility, agility and static balance performance than those who did not, results found. 

However, completing the ten minute daily routine did not improve power or overall muscle strength.

That being said, those who followed the routine were able to complete more controlled side-to-side leaps than their peers, which researchers said was likely die to the body’s nervous system adapting to control the muscles more effectively, 

Prof Atomi said the exercises work because they don’t involve the erector spina – the three vertical muscles running along the spine which we over-rely on for posture and balance – forcing participants to strengthen other core muscles.  

To perform the routine, start by lying on the floor with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. 

Place both hands on your stomach – to help visualise engaging your core – before tensing the muscles directly beneath your fingertips, creating resistance. 

Repeat this eight times, moving your hands clockwise in a circle from the starting point, Repeat the whole process three times. 

Then tilt your pelvic backwards, so your lower back comes into contact with the blood, while tensing you abdominal muscles and pushing your hips upwards away from the ground to hover your glutes off the floor. 

Hold for five seconds and repeat ten times.

Returning to your starting position, straighten one on your legs and leave the other bent at 90 degrees. 

Raise the foot of the bent leg up off the floor and curl your toes over while keeping your foot raised upwards towards the sky. 

Straighten the leg, scraping the heel along the floor whilst keeping your toes clenches. Once completely straight, point your toes away from you and hold for five seconds.

Repeat three times on each leg.  

Finally, with both legs straight, perform a ‘rock paper, scissors movement with your toes on each foot. Clench the toes for rock, flex for paper and then raise your big toes on its own and cross it over the front on your second toe for scissors. Repeat five times.