Video: Park Bench as a Balance Beam

Video: Balance Work (Practice)

Balance - the ability to control the body's stability whilst moving (or stationary) regardless of its base of support.  One of the 20 Components of Fitness.

The video below is of me attempting to use a park bench as a balance beam. 

How to improve your balance:

There is no need to use a BOSU, swiss ball, balance board or a park bench for that matter.  There are much simpler methods.

For example try brushing your teeth whilst standing on one leg (do this barefoot).

Aim to stand on one leg for the duration of brushing e.g. 2 minutes in the morning on the left leg, and then the other leg at night.  You may only manage a few seconds to begin with, but this will increase over time as your skills improve.  

The intention is not to hold on to anything or to put the other foot down to gain support.

Vary the amount of knee bend each time, this will not only strengthen the muscles that support the knee but also help prevent injury and knee pain.  This may be uncomfortable to begin with but is necessary to promote stability in the joints.

Also spend time balancing on the heel, balls of feet, inside and outside of foot.  This will help to sensitise the foot whilst improving ankle mobility and strength.

To control and minimise re-balancing use the hip/core as the primary area of control (rather than the arms) to maintain balance.  

The hips, knees and ankles should work together in an integrated fashion.

Workout: Outdoor - Primal Work & Play in the Park

Outdoor Workout: Primal Work In the Park

Had a great natural movement workout yesterday with Nathan Chong in Ravenscourt Park.

Autumn's here - the days are shorter and it's getting colder but it didn't take too long to warm up after a 400m sprint.

We worked on some natural movement combos and made interesting use of the environment.  I did take some video (but with the lack of natural light it won't be possible to post it as the video quality is so poor).

MovNat Workout Combo: (combinations of) --> 

• Air Squats;
• Various Sprint shuttle runs;
• Tree Pull-Ups & Muscle-Ups;
• Rope Muscle Ups;
• Balance work on park bench, beams, single leg balancing and squats (see photo below)
• Running up a children's slide;
• Rope climbing;
• Precision Jumps;
• Breeze Block Clean & Press;
• Barefoot Conditioning

Paleo for Dinner - a rainbow of colours!

 Paleo for Dinner - a rainbow of colours!

My Paleo dinner last night (and lunch today).  Consists of: 

• organic natural fed chicken basted with extra-virgin coconut oil (baked);
• chicken marinated with lots of Jamaican spices and organic herbs;
• organic walnuts;
• wide range of vegetables, a rainbow of colours to maximise antioxidant content. 

The full recipe will be published in future as part of a Paleo recipe guide.  

This meal I call the "Jamaican Rainbow".

Review: Take the Stress out of Tipping (iPhone)

Take the stress out of tipping

Tipping Tips - iPhone

This may seem like an unusual application to review on this site.   But as a big gadget and technology fan I am keen to share useful applications that will save you time and hassle.  

I am constantly looking at ways to reduce stress using my iPhone and some smart-phone apps can directly or indirectly assist with this goal. 

Tipping Tips is an iPhone app that provides tipping advice.  There are many apps out there that will calculate tips for meals out, or split the bill between several people, but this does far more.

For anyone who travels to another country you will have encountered the struggle with how much to tip and when, for example a taxi from the airport, porter or other services.  Do I pay the exact fare, round up or pay a fixed percentage?  What works in one country doesn't apply everywhere so the answer isn't always straightforward.  For example did you know it's insulting to tip in Japan (bar a few minor exceptions)?

Pricing: UK - 0.59p, US - $0.99

Tipping Tips - iTunes App Store