User ReviewedHow to Use an Exercise Ball As a Chair An exercise ball is a useful workout tool that helps to increase balance and strengthen the core muscles in your back and stomach. These muscles support your spine and help to take the burden of weight off the spine. Strong core muscles are elementary in achieving good posture. Recently, the fitness ball has moved out of the gym and into the home and office. People are using the ball as a chair in order to strengthen core muscles. This is called "active sitting" because your muscles are engaged. Using the wrong techniques with an exercise ball may do you more harm than good. This article will tell you how to use an exercise ball as a chair. Choose the right fitness ball for your height and weight. If you are of average weight and you are under 5'3" (160 cm), you should choose a 55 cm (21.7 inch) diameter exercise ball. Buy a burst-resistant exercise ball. Purchase your ball at a store that allows returns if the ball is not the right size.
Pump up the ball, aiming to pump it up to maximum diameter so that you do not sink too far into the ball. Sit up straight on the ball with your legs out in front of you. They should be at a 90 degree angle to your thighs and parallel to the ball. At first, you can place your calves in front of you so that they are touching the ball. This will give you added stability while learning to use the ball. Later, you will want to move your calves so they are not touching, which will provide more benefits for your core. Bend your elbows and place your forearms at a 90 degree angle. Reaching forward slightly, you should be able to rest them on the top of the desk or table. If you are using a computer, make sure it is at a 90 degree angle. If it is not, your neck will be out of alignment with the rest of your spine, and the ball will be less useful in helping your posture. Use the ball in 20 minute intervals. Do not get rid of your office chair. Just like exercise, it is important to give your muscles rest to prevent muscle fatigue and get the maximum benefit.
Work up to 30 minute intervals as you get used to the chair. Doctors do not recommend that you sit for longer than 30 minutes at a time. If you need to get up to change chairs frequently, this will also benefit your spine. Most exercise balls are sold in metric diameter measurements, so be sure to measure your office chair in cm as well as inches. Be careful not to bounce or play on the ball too much; injuries from falling off the ball will greatly reduce the ball's benefit.Fact is, many of us will spend the bulk of our waking hours sitting in front of a desk. This fact creates health problems for some, including lower back pain. To solve for this, a growing number of office workers are experimenting with substituting their office chairs for stability balls. Will sitting on one these SUV-tire-sized rubberized balls truly help your back pain? Is it an effective way to improve your posture or strengthen your core? And even if it can do these things, is it truly going to work as a full-time chair substitute at your desk?
Of one thing there is no doubt – the scientific data confirms that too much sitting in a chair is not good for you, as we reported in the article Is Sitting Bad for Your Health? . Prolonged sitting is associate with a shorter life expectancy, with negative changes in muscle structure, and fat accumulation in your heart, liver, and brain. Other problems with extended office chair sitting include hip trouble, neck strain, back pain, and wrist problems. Add all this up and it’s clear why medical experts are encouraging us to move about. But, specifically, what about the stability ball – will it work as a desk chair substitute and improve your health? How a stability ball helps you The theory behind the stability ball is that you simply cannot sit still on one: that the necessary, constant micro-movements of the trunk muscles in order to maintain your stability atop the ball will increase the strength of your core muscles and, consequently, improve or correct your lumbar spine posture.
This much is true; sitting on a bouncy rubber ball involves muscles more than sitting in an office chair. The science behind the ball Whether or not a stability ball is good exercise, the real question is, Is it an effective chair alternative? Most studies cast a shadow on the feasibility of the stability ball as a legitimate, practical substitution for the chair. For example, in a 2006 study from Canada’s University of Waterloo, researchers concluded that: Spinal muscle activation increased – score one point for the ball as an exercise form! Unhealthy pelvic tilt decreased slightly – score a half point for the chair as posture aid! Discomfort increased – i.e., its use for prolonged sitting may not be advantageous. Results were similar in a 2009 study from The Netherlands, which also found that some spinal shrinkage occurred when sitting on an exercise ball – not a good thing. They concluded that that “the advantages with respect to physical loading of sitting on an exercise ball may not outweigh the disadvantages.”
More recently, a 2013 analysis of seven related studies comparing the effect of dynamic sitting (using seating that keeps you moving) to a more static sitting condition (i.e. traditional office chairs) concluded that dynamic sitting only minimally activates trunk muscles while actively increasing discomfort. In short: buyer beware To summarize, do not expect prolonged sitting on a stability ball to make much difference in the manner in which you sit, and do expect it to to increase discomfort. Possibly, if you had the patience to continue using a stability ball for several hours a day for a few weeks, your trunk muscles would strengthen to a point that the discomfort would lessen. But, in the meantime, expect to keep using your desk chair for the bulk of your sitting. A legal consideration: Even if you conclude that you want to try substituting your chair for a big ball, be advised that some businesses don’t allow stability balls in the office, citing potential health or safety risks.