Spice Up Your Exercise Routine With The Eye Method

Vision is an important aspect of our balance, because our eyes are continually feeding a ton of information to our brains about our position relative to our surroundings. As we get older, we rely more heavily on our vision as other mechanisms of our balance weaken - mechanisms such as our vestibular and proprioceptive senses. The problem with this is that it easily becomes a vicious cycle: the more we rely on our vision, the weaker the other systems become, and the worse our balance gets. 

Let’s use this information to our advantage: I’m going to teach you what I call The Eye Method. With The Eye Method, you can make any exercise more challenging (and also any exercise less challenging, if need be). That’s right, I’m not just referring to strictly balance exercises: you can use this method for any exercise in order to add an element of balance training - to any workout. 

There are 4 levels in The Eye Method, and you don’t need any equipment whatsoever. I just recommend that you stand next to a sink or counter so that you have something sturdy to hold for safety. I also encourage starting at level 1 and moving to the next level only when level 1 is feeling “easy” for you, meaning that you feel stable, and not wobbly at all. 

The Eye Method is very easy to learn and implement, because it only involves shifting your gaze to different places while you do your exercise. Level 1 starts off easiest, and each level progressively increases the challenge of the exercise, balance-wise. Again, you can use this method with any exercise you like. 

Level 1: focus your eyes on a stationary object on the ground 

Ideally you will choose a stationary object that is about 5-10 feet away from you that is on or near the ground. In this photo example, she is staring at her weights that are on the ground a few feet in front of her while she does her squat exercise. By setting your gaze on something that is not moving and is near the ground, your eyes can give your brain plenty of feedback about your body’s position relative to the level ground, which helps you keep your balance. Even if your body is moving during the exercise, such as a squat up and down, maintain your eyes fixed on that object the entire time, don't take your eyes off of it. If you are ever having trouble stabilizing during an exercise, try this trick and see if it helps - it usually does! 

Level 2: focus your eyes on a stationary object straight ahead 

You can still focus on a stationary object, but this time choose something that is on the wall, such as a framed picture, or a clock like in this picture example. You want to choose something that is about eye-level. Same idea, in that even if your body is moving during the exercise, you always keep your eyes fixated on the non-moving object on the wall the whole time. This level is slightly more challenging because the ground is now more so in your peripheral vision. 

Level 3: focus your eyes up towards the ceiling 

Your eyes won’t be able to provide as much detailed information to your brain about the level ground when you are looking up at the ceiling, so this will be quite a bit more challenging. 

Level 4: eyes closed

Of course, this completely removes your vision from assisting with your balance at all, so be careful with this one. As I mentioned before, make sure you feel solid and sturdy with levels 1, 2, & 3 prior to attempting level 4. It’s also not a bad idea to have someone right next to you, especially the first time you try a balance exercise with your eyes closed. Initially, you may re-open your eyes quite frequently. As your balance improves, you’ll notice you can keep your eyes closed for longer periods of time without feeling wobbly. 

The purpose of the progression from level 1 up to level 4 is to reduce how much your brain is relying on your vision for balance, by sharpening up your other balance senses. 

Let’s look at another example of how you can use The Eye Method with a different exercise: 

We will use a heel-raise exercise, where I am standing on both feet, raising up onto my tiptoes, and then lowering back down. This is a great strengthening exercise for the gastrocsoleus muscles (the calf muscles). If I add The Eye Method in, I can quickly adjust how easy or difficult this exercise is for me. 

I can start with level 1, where I am looking down at the ground, focusing my gaze to help me stabilize, while I do my heel raises. If this feels easy for me in terms of balance, I can try level 2, so now I’m looking straight ahead while doing heel-raises. Once I feel steady here, I can move to level 3, which is where I am still doing heel-raises, but now I am looking up at the ceiling. And if I feel safe to, I could even try closing my eyes during the heel-raise exercise to really challenge my balance. 

Another way to look at this is if I am doing my heel raises but feeling wobbly, I can refocus my gaze on something fixed on the wall (level 2), or stationary on the floor (level 1), to make it easier for me to complete the exercise.

The Eye Method can be a real game changer for many of my patients, so I encourage you to try it out! It can add a little extra zing to an exercise that you may be getting bored with. Try it with your standing bicep curls (or any exercise that you’re normally just standing there). By adding in The Eye Method levels 3 or 4, you’ll be training your balance as well as your strength. It can also help an exercise become more doable - especially if it’s an exercise that has been frustrating you because you keep losing your footing. Think squats, lunges, or even a true balance exercise like single leg stance - you can feel more steady with all of these exercises by applying The Eye Method with levels 1 & 2. 

Want more detailed exercises that you can apply The Eye Method to? Check out my Top 3 Balance-Building Exercises - The Eye Method is perfect for all three of these exercises. You can get them for free by clicking HERE and I will email it straight to your inbox.