Exercise Balls

Exercise Balls are an excellent tool to improve your workouts. They will assist you in becoming stronger and more flexible. When added into your regular routine, they will increase the intensity and benefit you receive from your workout.

Whenever a coaching client scoffs at these, I point out that Physical Therapists are the experts at rehabilitating your body after it has suffered an injury or surgery. They use these balls because recovery time is shortened and strength is gained more quickly.

This happens because the ball puts you into and unstable environment while working out. To compensate for the lack of stability, supporting muscles must come into play. You have to work much harder to maintain your balance.

Benefits of using a Ball

Some of the improvements you'll see are:

core strength will increase
balance will improve
you get functional training and
more flexibility.

Exercise Examples

I used to do 200 to 250 crunches in a set on the living room floor. I started doing 50 crunches on an exercise ball and got an even better workout. It was more intense and there was much more range of motion involved. So, I got a better workout in less time.

You can use these balls with weights, pilates, bodyweight exercises, or just about any action you might want to perform while working out. Type exercise balls in any search engine and you will find a huge number of things to try.

Burning Calories while your Sitting?

You can use a ball as a chair when working at your desk. Doing this has many benefits - it:

improves balance
works the abdominal muscles
helps keep your back in alignment and avoids back pain
they are very inexpensive
while seated you can grab a quick workout anytime you want and
it causes the body to continuously adjust to stay balanced.

This "active sitting" turns the time at your desk into a low intensity workout, instead of passively sitting in a chair. This is where the free burning of calories takes place!

The Right Size Ball

You want to get a ball that "fits" you. Try and get one that when you are seated allows your thighs to be parallel with the ground (basically your knees and hips are at the same height).

You can use the following ball sizes and heights to get close to your "fit".

18" ball = 4'7" - 5'
22" ball = 5'1" - 5'6"
26" ball = 5'7" - 6'1"
30" ball = 6'2" - 6'8"
34" ball = 6'9"+

The best way to determine fit is to find a store that has them inflated and try them. You could also see if a Physical Therapist would let you try one of theirs. They usually have an assortment of sizes in their therapy rooms.

Try One Out

Why not give an exercise ball a try? You'll find they're:

very in expensive (compare prices here)
able to improve both your workouts and your health and
really have no downside.

Good luck and good health!

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