Structural balance means being in harmony with a very strong force, gravity. If you are out of alignment you will be fighting gravity and from that will come tension, pains and body aches. The skeletal system was made to hold up the body and the muscles to move it. With improper posture or injuries we loose that function and create stress on the whole framework.

The pelvis is the foundation for the spine and attachment to the legs. Any rotation, tilts or deviations of structure causes the muscles to work against each other. The spine is also designed for strength and movement. The proper curves are needed for strength, leverage and shock absorption (dispersing the downward pressure of gravity). Like a good shock absorber the spine must also give and be well lubricated for highest efficiency.

Starting with the neck, almost everyone has tension or a pain in the neck. One of the reasons is posture and habit. When looking down reading, writing, or with any hand held activity, gravity pulls on the head which weighs more than the muscles holding it up. With long jobs at a desk, lots of tension builds in this area. It's no wonder muscle tension in the neck, shoulders and arms is very common. With slouching posture, the shoulder comes out of its proper working alignment with the back and head. When your neck is tight and blocked it can affect the whole body. Then something somewhere else has to compensate.

If the body is out of balance muscles are pulling improperly and overworking. Muscle spasms can pinch the nerves and pain and loss of energy occurs. The muscles fatigue much faster than they should due to the constant tug of war. It can waste a tremendous amount of energy. Also, at time of rest, muscle tension can create anxiety that can begin to weaken the the whole function of the human body. Structure governs function. Loss of sleep, impaired digestion, shallow breathing all this can lead to all types of problems.

With spine and pelvic alignment, most bodies are functioning at a higher efficiency level; with more strength, freer movement, increased endurance and best of all less stress on the spine and joints.

Structure governs function. The organs cannot fully do their job in an over stressed, out of alignment body. Athletes put their bodies through constant stress from training and body-building and rest become very important factor in training, especially for competition. More people in competition over train following the idea of "no pain, no gain". More and more research proves otherwise. We need to look more closely at pain on the level of training in an individual. That is the key word, we are all individuals and very different, not only physically, mentally, chemically, but emotionally as well.

Hard training for one is easy for another. Even starting with two people somewhat in the same physical condition, age, and temperament.

The key to training and fitness to to work on balance. Try a professional to develop the basic structure for your workouts. Then follow the recommendations to the letter. Your body will be in better shape and your stress levels can be decreased.

Body balance in sports is very important in performance and prevention of injury.

The muscles and bones of the body conform to your posture. They stretch and contract to positions that are non balanced. Slouching shoulders, bent back, a neck that sticks out, can cause an imbalance in the body, especially with poor posture. Sometimes, it's difficult to just stop slouching. We need to become aware of our posture in sitting, standing, sleeping and running in order to achieve good body balance.

Chiropractic care, kinesiology, structural integration and deep tissue massage are all very helpful when applied properly.

The shortened muscles are massaged and lengthened by exercises and proper stretching. The weak muscles strengthened. This is why stretching and deep muscle work can be very beneficial for an athletes or any person in training for that matter.

Top performances come from several factors besides training and eating right with the proper rest. From the muscle standpoint, if you have an imbalance in the main muscles of the pelvis or legs (which many runners do)you only tap into part of your power because of the muscles being imbalanced. They don't work quite right, so sometimes this causes a shorter gait, inflexibility and less strength. Not to mention the muscle tug-of-war, which causes more fatigue.

You may think weight lifting is the solution, not so. If you build up muscles without the proper balancing, you just increase in strength and imbalances. Another factor is that muscles have immediate communication with the brain if they are very stressed or in danger of injuring the brain throws, a circuit breaker and shuts them down. Here's where the problem is. Through a muscle test (Kinesiology) you can evaluate which muscles are working and which ones are not. It's like tuning a car. If it's not working right running it harder or just letting it rest will not correct the problem.

Consult with sports medicine and health centers that specialize in sports therapy techniques such as kinesiology to have a proper analysis of muscles in your body. This will address the structural balance part of the body.

The holistic approach incorporates; Body (structure)Mind (relaxation, mental - imagery), proper breathing techniques (yoga), and high performance attitudes(Spirit) while training. Nutrition is also important, not only by eating the proper foods, and not eating the not so good foods, but also having the correct proportions of vitamins, power foods, and a personal nutritional program that you can live with.