Exercise Ball 

Using fancy exercise ball instead of desk chair has become a trend, does it really useful? 

Exercise chair is a piece of exercise stuff that frequently used in physical therapy and exercise class for strength training and improve balancing. Recently this ball is trying to enter the office room from health clubs and getting popular. These colour full plastic balls are creating attraction in the boring office room.

The main idea of using it in the office is like working out for a whole day without going to the gym. On the other hand, it is a cheaper option than a treadmill or standing desk.  

There is some confusion about whether one should go for it or not. If you are planning to have one, this article may help you. There are some advantages, disadvantages and facts that you need to consider before buying an exercise ball.

Let’s have a look and then decide.

Possible Health Benefits

A small change in your lifestyle can give you a long term benefit. Sitting on an exercise ball can encourage exercise mentality.

1. Burn Extra Calories

While you are sitting on an exercise ball, it means you are constantly making small adjustments. The more you move, the more calorie will burn, it’s a simple idea. The burning percentage may be very few, but worth it. So to get a bonus in your regular calorie burn count, you can use an exercise ball instead of a regular chair. 

2. Lessen Back Pain

The ease of an exercise ball is to the exoneration of back injury. When you are on the ball, your body responds automatically to stay balanced on it. It makes the spine in a neutral condition which helps to correct poor posture. 

The wrong posture leads to back pain; nevertheless, the ball helps a person to learn proper posture and guard against back injuries. 

Notwithstanding, constantly engaging muscle on the ball can make the back pain worse. 

3. Increase core muscles strength — both back and abdominal  

A strong core is a blessing for everybody. It helps the body to function all the daily activities properly. An exercise ball helps to trunk muscle activation, which improves core strength and reduce the stiffness of the body. 

Impediments 

While benefits of the exercise ball are archived, research has found some bad effects of sitting on an exercise ball. If there are pros, there must be some cons also. Sitting on a ball for a long time can result in spinal shrinkage, muscle fatigue and discomfort.

1. Lack of rest facility 

The shortage of proper armrest and back support in exercise ball can make one feel uncomfortable. In a long tiring working day without the help of arm and back may cause pain in the body. 

The human body cannot work straight without any rest for seven to eight hours. People need to lean back on the chair and relax. This may hamper your work result also. 

A right office ergonomic chair can provide all kind of support part by part for your body. On the other hand, this ball has nothing. Don’t you think, for a workplace where you need to sit for a more extended period the ball can’t compete with a truly ergonomic chair?

2. Need a good time to adjust on the ball

You may need a long period to learn the proper posture and balance while sitting on the ball. The ball is not stable, so you will need to practice to maintain a well-sitting posture on it. 

The first day you can start for about twenty minutes then after one week, you can sit for an hour. So it’s just not as easy as it looks. This requires a real adjustment period. It takes time for the body to adjust on the ball normal.

Prolong improper sitting posture can damage the spine structure and cause recurring back and neck pain. 

3. Headache

Sometimes too much bouncy feelings may leave you a headache. The weight of a person and age is also a factor for comfortability. People of all age might not find it pleasant for doing office tasks.

 4. Chances of fall

There is a high chance of getting injured or having an accident while getting on and off the ball due to instability. A study shows that there are some severe injuries in office place after using it. 

Be careful; do not fall. 

5. Unprofessional for office environment

 If everyone is swapping office chair with an exercise ball, there must be haphazard at the office. It may be a real concern for the HR department.

6. Burst             

Any accident can happen at any time. An exercise ball can also burst, which is not only embarrassing but painful also. So be cautious, or you will be liable if any damage happens to any office equipment.

7. Size

The height is another issue. While sitting on an exercise ball, you may find that the ball is not tall enough to reach the desk. Size is a crucial fact. Either it would help if you changed the table according to your ball size, or you have to find a perfect sized ball.

The real answer

Exercise ball at office sounds like fun. Actually, it is. It can reduce workplace stress.

Maybe there are some benefits but if you want to use it for long hours, here is a big NO.  

The exercise ball is training equipment; nobody should be trained for 8 hours.

One can use exercise balls for a specific period like for twenty minutes. People can use it as back and forth, not all the time.

The main idea of a healthy life is to be more active and sit less. 

Autor: Srem Portal

by Oglasi