- Welcome back to Quick Fit .

I'm your host, Cassy Vieth.

The strategy for today's class is to work in an unstable, yet controllable environment.

Have a chair nearby if you cannot stand on one foot for more than three or four seconds.

And I'll show you a strategy for improving.

If you're ready, let's get moving.

[upbeat music] I'd also like you to remove your shoes, so those sense receptors in your feet are in direct contact with the floor or a thin mat.

Now, you can perform this class at one of three levels.

Some of you will need to hold onto the chair for the entire class.

In this way, you can follow along with all the moves to strengthen and condition your standing leg joints.

If your legs are not strong enough individually, then you're not ready for level two.

Once you can remain on one leg for a minute while holding on, then you can move on to level two, which is lifting the hand off the chair while balancing.

Now, in level two, you will be able to not hang on, but you need to remain still, without any of the other movements that we'll be doing, until you can get up to around 15 to 20 seconds without hanging on.

At that point, you'll be ready for level three, and you can follow along with all the moves in today's class without a chair at all.

You may wobble a bit and put your toes down, but as long as you're keeping all your weight on one leg, you're in the right stage.

All right, let's warm up with just simple balance holds.

So let's put the leg forward and just hold it here.

So if you're in level one, you'll be doing this hanging on.

Level two, you can do this, 'cause there's no other movement happening.

And, of course, level three, you can do it all.

Now, put the foot down and let's reach it out to the side.

I find if I don't make it very clear about the levels, people try too far above their ability and never actually improve their balance.

So be patient with yourself and improve systematically.

All right, let's do the other side now.

So first, stabilize.

[inhales] Find something that's not moving to focus on and just hold.

Now, put the foot down.

We'll reach it out to the side.

And when you're ready, lift and hold.

You can feel that foot wiggling around your anterior tibialis, which is that muscle that goes from your calf down into your foot, and supports your arch.

It needs to be woken up and get stronger.

All right, now let's switch legs.

So get balanced, stabilized.

Now we're actually gonna do lifts.

Now, if you're in stage two, you're not hanging on, but I would prefer you don't do the lifts.

You're not quite ready for those.

You still need to just hold your leg still out in front until you've reached that benchmark that I mentioned of being able to stand on your leg for a while.

All right, now, out to the side, lift, lift, lift.

And hold and reach it to the back.

Squeeze your bottom to do the lifts.

Lift, lift.

And two feet down.

And we'll extend the other leg out in front.

Stabilize [inhales and exhales] and lift.

And out to the side.

When you're ready, lift.

To the back, when you're ready.

Lift.

You know, some days it's going to be easier than others.

And for sure, one side is always better than the other.

Now these are the around the clocks, so this is much more difficult, because we're doing movement in multiple directions and around the body.

All this work is very good for your arches, very good for the feet.

Good, lift, lift.

Good, and it doesn't matter how high you get the leg.

The action here is that you're actually moving the leg around your body, which is increasing the difficulty.

And let's switch sides.

Stabilize.

[exhales] Find that thing to focus on and lift, lift.

Lifting and moving and balancing all at the same time.

Okay, and back around, lift.

And remember, you're keeping all your weight on your standing leg.

You're not transferring the weight to this moving leg.

And good.

Shake it off and slow bicycles.

Stabilize.

And we're going to slowly pedal.

Lift the knee, extend the leg, move it to the back.

Bend that knee, nice and slow.

Good, and up, and extend.

One more.

And forward, down, and back.

Good job, all right.

Feet getting tired, maybe, by now?

Extend.

If you're not used to having your shoes off, you're going to definitely tire your feet out, so stop sooner than you think so that your feet aren't too sore.

Lift and extend to the back.

If you think you're going to have to put your foot down, just freeze, okay, until your body can stabilize, and then start again.

All right, now let's take this leg and let's reach it out to the side.

Nice, big lunge and sweep those arms.

Okay, sweep it down and up.

One more.

[inhales] Bring it down and reach.

That leg and that foot is still doing a lot of work.

Turn the other way.

A little bit of a break.

[inhales] Stretch it to the back and down.

Reach and let's keep those arms up.

[inhales] And exhale.

Final move.

We're going to do a tree pose.

The idea is to have a very small base at your feet, okay?

Some of you will need to have most of your foot down.

Figure out what's the smallest amount of your foot touching the floor that you can maintain and control, okay?

Maybe you need all of your toes, maybe just barely need the tip of your toes.

And maybe you can lift the foot.

But don't lift the foot if you keep putting it down, right?

Then just stay at one of these first stages, so, stage one.

There you go.

I'd find something to focus on.

The biggest key is to just keep all your weight going down through one leg, not transferring your weight into the other.

All right, we'll put that foot down and the other one, okay?

Either have your, all of your toes, just your tippy toes, or no toes.

Okay, inhale.

[inhales] Almost finished here guys, just a few more seconds.

And we're done.

This will be one of those classes you'll want to repeat a few times a week to train your balance and your neuromuscular coordination.

As the saying goes, use it or lose it.

To make sure you don't lose it, plan tomorrow's workout right now, so it doesn't get skipped.

And I'll be waiting right here at pbswisconsin.org/quickfit to keep you loose, strong, and balanced.

Enjoy the rest of your day, and don't forget, life is movement.

- Announcer: Funding for Quick Fit with Cassy is provided by Greg and Carol Griffin, founders of ElderSpan Management, Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.