Most of us take balance for granted — until we start struggling to pull on our pants or take off our boots without tipping over. But it’s not just age that causes balance to deteriorate. The reality show Survivor has showcased plenty of young, healthy men and women who, despite being impressive in a variety of difficult physical challenges, struggle walking along a narrow beam.
Balance is established through complex and synergistic communication between the inner ears, eyes, muscles, joints and brain. The ears are the stabilizers, the eyes establish distance and help keep you level based on where you are in space (proprioception), and the brain signals the body to adjust its position accordingly. But not everyone has the same ability to stay upright when their balance is challenged. Men and women have different centres of gravity, which is the reason why men often find balance exercises more difficult than women.
Men carry most of their weight above the hips, which in addition to their wider shoulders, places their centre of gravity closer to the chest. Women have wider hips and more of their weight in the lower half of their body, which puts their centre of gravity lower. The higher the centre of gravity, the harder it is to maintain balance over the feet, which is why many of the male Survivor cast members are eliminated first during any balance-related challenges.