One of the things I admire about Martha is she seems to live a life that is balanced. She has a ginormous career, yet she has time to cook and decorate and do things that give her pleasure. So I was interested when I read “Simple Steps to Better Your Balance” in the November issue’s Healthy Living section.  We all know Martha’s into yoga (I’m not), but this is a new take on finding balance in your own body.

The article suggests you test yourself to see if your body is balanced. It says to stand one leg, with the other bent at a 45 degree angle, and your arms folded on your chest for 45 seconds. I felt a bit silly trying this, but it wasn’t hard at all. The key for me was to find a focal point (even saying that makes me remember Lamaze class). Once I had something to look at it, it became a lot easier to hold still. Once you’ve mastered that, the article suggests bending sideways and hopping. Touching the raised leg to the ground is another variation. I didn’t find any of that hard. Who knew I was so very balanced?

The next challenge is walking heel to toe in a straight line. There’s nothing like practicing for a sobriety test. This was easy too. No problems. If you can accomplish all of these tasks, the piece suggests doing them with your eyes closed. Whoa! Much harder! Nearly impossible actually.

The rest of the article was about organizing your home to prevent falls – which all felt a little geriatric to me. What’s the age demographic for this mag? It’s got to be in the 30s or 40s. I totally didn’t get why this was in the mag. Maybe Martha is worrying about her own aging! If she’s worried, maybe she should read my book, which actually deals with some of these concerns!