Reading time: 4min
When I moved in with my last flatmate I was so surprised because right in the middle of the living room just in between the sofa and the television there was a balance board.
I look at it, it looks at me and it was immediate love! (the balance board not my flat mate)
I would wake up in the morning putting some music video on the TV and drink my coffee, juice, glass of water on top of the balance board for at least 10 min. I´ve just felt in love with this product.
Then I started to progress a bit and do my first tricks and I was even more “WOW this is absolutely awesome”.
So using the balance board is one of those things that are fun but at the same time, they are really useful for your mind and your body and the connection between the two of them.
So let me see if I can convince you to buy yourself the best gift for this year 😛
BALANCE BOARD HAS NO AGE LIMIT
I know that some of you might start with “ehhh but I’m too old for this” NOPE! You can find a lot of different types of balance boards for different levels and styles. To put it easy: the bigger the roll the more difficult it is. So in a lot of different rehab places they are starting to use the balance board training to help elderly people to work on their balance. No excuse here!
Yes Gio, but do I really need a balance board?
Of course! You will improve so many things like:
BALANCE
Of course… it says it in the name. But I can see now while skating and surfing or even in strapless kitesurf that I am way more fluid on the board. I can move my feet around way better than earlier and I reduced the number of falls. So Yes, sporty people this is DEFINITELY for you!
AGILITY
Staying on the balance board is like connecting your brain to your body and I can totally see how agile I became since I started. My body basically is ready to react in zero time to any type of fall.
Meaning that if you trip over you have a 95% chances to fall on your feet if you have been training with a balance board.
CORE
OH MY GOOD YOUR CORE, I mean I don’t want to sell you the fact that you’ll get a 6pack just by using a balance board, but the part of your body that is mostly working on the board (besides the legs) is really your core. And we know that a good core helps to keep all your body aligned and centered.
INJURIES
Once you have improved your balance and body coordination you’ll see that you’ll become like a cat always falling on your paws. Because a regular balance board training will make you more spatially aware, enabling you to auto-correct your body position instantly when the danger arises.
It will help you strengthen all your legs core and back. I have a very weak back and an injured knee, since I’m using the balance board I feel I’m definitely more strong and had way fewer problems.
CREATIVITY
The cool staff of the balance board is that you can just work on your balance or you can incorporate it in your functional training (e.g. doing squats, plank, pushups, bridges on the balance board) or you can even go freestyle and start to do a lot of different tricks like my superhero Marie
Ok Gio, but really I train, do sports I’m in a good shape. I don’t really need this balance board.
Even if you are in shape already, this doesn’t mean you can be in better shape!
FOR ALL TYPE OF SPORTS
Balance boarding is a great plus training for all sorts of sports. I can testify for skate, surf, and kitesurf. But I’ve seen really cool training done for soccer, hockey, tennis, volleyball, CrossFit, climbing, running, etc.
I mean there is no excuse, really.
snowboarding training 
tennis training 
volleyball training 
crossFit training 
soccer training 
hockey training
FOR THE KIDS AS WELL!
It goes without saying that the balance board is incredibly fun and useful also for kids of all age! Look at this toddler, how cool is this?
So what are you waiting for? Get your first balance board and start to train!
Now out there is plenty of balance boards but I ask you to choose wisely. Go for quality and not price!
I use Lawa Balance this incredible handmade balance board from Spain. Done with local and environmentally friendly products by the hands of Sofia, a very talented lady 😍
The boards are made from Abedul, fine layers of wood glued together for great resistance but still flexible for those who want to do some tricks, like jumping, on them. The wood is carefully chosen from local suppliers. Every piece has a sustainability certificate that shows the trees had been planted and harvest fulfilling principles of environmental and social responsibility.
The roll is made of cork for its efficiency. It saves up to 30% more CO2 than other trees, it is harvest every 9 years and processed with little waste, it is the only tree whose bark can be removed without harming the tree and those trees that are harvest often. And of course, it makes the perfect grip for your board. We love cork!
Talking to Sofia, she told me that “The name Lawa means firewood in Quechwa which is the language of the indigenous people from the Andes and the Amazon”. Sofia decided on this name because of the connection between the indigenous people and Mother Earth, she reminds me how they have always lived in harmony and balance with the environment but unfortunately due to deforestation their homes, our planet’s lungs, are getting smaller, and smaller every time.
Which is why the beauty of getting one of the @Lawa.balance board is that she partnered up with @treenation_org so that every time a board is sent to a client a new tree is planted, isn’t it wonderful?
And the design is just too cool!
You can use the discount “giokite” to get one of these beauties http://www.lawabalance.com/shop/
And if you have any questions don’t hesitate to drop me a message on Instagram @lagiokite or leave a comment here! Cheers!
Just kitesurf 