The Balance Ball isn't just for the scheduled workout anymore!
If you spend time in front of a computer, this idea just may be what you have been looking for. I will share some of the research I have found and share my experience to help you choose the right balance ball for you.
There are dozens of exercise routines for the Balance Ball. Workouts ranging from 10 minutes to an hour or more. Sometimes we are great at keeping our appointment for the workout, and at other times... well, if you are like me you know how this important appointment can be put on hold for 'work'. So why not combine the two and improve your health while you work?
Have you ever thought of using the balance ball to sit on while watching TV, folding laundry, crafting, painting, or sitting in front of the computer? Restore energy, balance, and flexibility while you are working, watching television, or other sitting activities.
This started out when I was working at a new office and I sat in front of a computer for 3 1/2 hours on a balance ball. The time went by effortlessly. I felt better than I ever have before after working at a desk. Instinctively, I was stretching, breathing deeper, working the abs and legs. And, the next morning I was up early and ready to take on the day.
Today, as I write this review, I am sitting on a balance ball, posture better than ever in front of a computer, and I am comfortable. Not to mention the peace of mind knowing that I am going to feel 'good' afterward.
If you spend time in front of a computer, or at an activity that is primarily sitting down, this idea just may be what you have been looking for.
I will share some of the research I have found and share my experience to help you choose the right balance ball for you.
The President's Council on Adult Physical Fitness Test
Many baby boomers remember taking the youth fitness test when they were in elementary school. Now there's a chance to see how they score as adults! The President's Council released the new Adult Fitness Test on Wednesday, May 14, 2008.Am I healthy enough to take the test?
The risk associated with exercise or exercise testing varies with a person's health status. Exercise testing performed on healthy adults results in a low number of abnormal cardiovascular events, such as dizziness, fainting, irregular heartbeats, and sometimes, heart attack.
The same tests performed on adults with some diseases or risk factors for diseases place them in a higher-risk category for cardiovascular events.
During exercise testing, the overall risk in adults is low with about 6 abnormal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people tested (American College of Sports Medicine. (2005). Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, p. 12-13).
Assess your health
For more information, and to take the test, follow the link below.
*First determine if you are healthy enough to take the physical fitness test.
*Take the test.
*Then, you can determine if you are healthy enough to enter into an exercise program.
Take the Adult Fitness Test at Adult Fitness dot Org
There are two types of fitness:
Performance-related fitness is linked to athletic performance (for example: a 50-yard dash time or the ability to maneuver around obstacles quickly) and is linked to speed, reaction time, and coordination.
Health-related fitness is linked to fitness components that may lower risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or low back pain. Health-related physical fitness includes the following components:
Aerobic fitness - ability of the heart and lungs to deliver blood to muscles,
Muscular strength and endurance - enough to do normal activities easily and protect the low back,
Flexibility - ability to move your many joints through their proper range of motion, and
Body composition - not too much body fat, especially around the waist.
How To Stay Fit While You Work
Push that office chair out of the way and replace it with a Balance Ball.
Everytime you are sitting at the desk, you will also be improving your posture, tightening your abs, strenthening your muscles, building a strong core, and shaping up.
Total Body Balance Ball
We don't stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing!
Stay young no matter how old you are!
Having passed the physical ability test, and discussed workout options with a qualified health professional, we now get to put into motion an easy to implement workout program that will fit right in with our daily work.
We will sit and be fit with a Balance Ball exercise workout.
Valeo Burst Resistant Body Ball (65 cm)
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $24.99
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Spark People Introduction to the Balance Ball "Swiss Ball"
How to Use a Stability Ball for Exercise
Coach Nicole of SparkPeople.com explains the basics of using a stability or "Swiss" ball for fitness. Learn which size ball you should use, and get safety tips and exercise ideas to improve your core (abs) strength, balance and coordination.
Runtime: 3:44
17156 views
4 Comments:
Choose a Size That is Best for You
Valeo Body Ball (75 cm)
If you are 6' 3" or taller, this is the size you will want to purchase.
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $19.99
Usually ships in 24 hours
Valeo Burst Resistant Body Ball (65 cm)
If you are between 5'7" and 6'2" , this is the size you will want to purchase.
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $24.99
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Valeo Body Ball (55 cm)
If you are 5'7" or shorter, this is the size you will want to purchase.
Amazon Price: $11.49 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $19.99
Usually ships in 24 hours
Gaiam Total Body Balance Ball Kit (65cm)
Amazon Price: $23.99 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $29.98
Usually ships in 24 hours
Workout Guides for The Balance Body Ball
101 Ways to Work Out on the Ball: Sculpt Your Ideal Body with Pilates, Yoga and More
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $19.95
Usually ships in 24 hours
PowerSculpt For Women: The Complete Body Sculpting & Weight Training Workout Using the Exercise Ball (Includes Bonus DVD)
Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $19.95
Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks
PowerSculpt For Men: The Complete Body Sculpting and Weight Training Workout Using the Exercise Ball (Includes Bonus DVD)
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $19.95
Usually ships in 24 hours
If It Is Going To Be, It Is Up To Me
Michael George, (Personal Trainer to the Stars), says poor posture is the No. 1 problem he sees. He uses the term "collapsed thoracic syndrome" to describe the rounded and raised shoulders and tight necks often caused by slumping over a computer monitor for hours at a time,"It happens gradually and we don't even notice," he says. "One day we look in the mirror and find our shoulders are a little rounded."
Good posture, he says, "prevents injury, speeds recovery, and improves physical appearance."
*Good posture is achieved by range of motion exercises and practicing good posture health.
For people who are getting older, one barrier to practicing good posture is pain. You do not want to stand up straight if your back is hurting. You may compensate for one ache by adjusting your stance, only to find that you are straining another part of your body.
The answer is to open up the flow of circulation, oxygenate your whole body, hydrate your whole body, and learn as much as you can about your personal situation.
Be open to healthy alternatives to exercise that was once appropriate but now can be harmful.
In addition to the balance ball technique to create a healthy situation while you are engaged in activities that require sitting, you can also explore other extraordinary ways to ease pain, increase range of motion, and improve overall health.
I have included several websites for you to explore including Tai Chi, Yoga, Walk Sport, Hydration, and Joint Health. Each of these offer holistic approaches to health that address the whole person.
We are complex beings and that means caring for our Mind, Body, Spirit, and Emotion.
Take Care Of You!
Fitness Over 50
It is Never Too Late to Get Fit.
Checklist
* Walk
* Stretch
* Repeat
Fitness Over Fifty: An Exercise Guide from the National Institute on Aging
When you are busy with activities that require sitting, use the balance ball to create stronger muscle tone, improve posture, and increase circulation.
The following guide "Fitness Over Fifty", will provide you with all the information you need to nurture your health and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Fitness Over Fifty: An Exercise Guide from the National Institute on Aging
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $15.95
Used Price: $1.16
Walking For Health
The secret to a healthy lifetime is right at your feet!
WALKSPORT.COM
Websites For You To Explore Good Healthy Fitness Routines
- WalkSport
- What's the Secret to a Lifetime of Fitness?
It's Right at Your Feet!
Welcome to WalkSportTM Online, the virtual version of America's premier mall walking program!
Countless people have already joined WalkSport and are enjoying fun prizes, great get-togethers, and special deals from our sponsors. Not to mention a healthier mind and body! - UT Medical Center - Joint Health: Fitness Over 50
- University of Tennessee Medical Center has a rich history in the community of providing patient-centered care and remaining at the forefront of research, technology and treatments.
- Arthritis Today: Tai Chi
- Arthritis Foundation
With slow movements as fluid as silk, the gentle Chinese practice of Tai Chi seems tailor-made for easing sore joints and muscles.
Several studies have shown that regular tai chi practice has benefits: It can reduce falls in the elderly or those with balance disorders - sometimes dramatically. In one 1996 Atlanta study, elderly people who practiced tai chi for 15 weeks reduced their risk of multiple falls by 47.5 percent. Falls are a particular danger for elders and others with brittle bones, or osteoporosis. For such people, falls frequently result in broken bones.
Judith Horstman~ Arthritis Today - H2O: Hydration
- H2O: Hydration
You've probably heard those narrators on the National Geographic specials say things like "Water gives life" or "Without water there could be no life." They're overly dramatic, but they're right.
No water, no go....
What happens to your body when you're dehydrated?
Drinks with caffeine do not help meet your water requirements. In fact, they cause you to lose water by increasing your urine output. So, if you use caffeinated drinks, increase your water intake as well. If you drink four cups of coffee, you may need more than eight cups of water per day to make up for what the caffeine causes you to lose.
See this site for detailed science and practical ways to integrate this important part of a healthy lifestyle into your day. - Yoga slows the Aging Process
- Through yogic exercises that bend and stretch the spine, fresh blood and nerve flow revitalize all the major glands and organs. Unlike other forms of exercise, which develop fitness by stressing the body, yoga builds strength and endurance while lowering the stress hormones that age us.
Balance Ball Guest Book - Tell A Friend
Send This Lens To A Friend. Click On The Yellow Email Birds and You Will Be Taken To The Email Form.
~GUESTBOOK~
I would love to hear from you about fitness, the balance body ball, and any other ideas for fitness at work or in the home office.
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Jewelsofawe
I would like to get one of these. Posted September 18, 2008 |
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susannad
You've convinced me. I'm going to drag out my fitness ball and site on it when I start at my computer in the morning. I know I should have done so before, I'm just lazy. 5* for making me shake off my indolence Posted September 14, 2008 |
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Susan52
I have a bodyball but don't really use it. You've challenged me with this lens. Thanks! Posted September 06, 2008 |
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JohannTheDog
Mum wants to get one for when she works on the computer, and then I can use it for core strengthening. Lots of agility dogs are using the balance ball to keep in great shape! Great lens! Posted September 06, 2008 |
Additional Resources
10 Minute Solution: Fitness Ball Workouts
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $14.98
Usually ships in 24 hours
Fat to Firm Fitness Ball Workout for Dummies
Amazon Price: $11.49 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $14.98
Usually ships in 24 hours
Swiss Ball Abs and Core
Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $19.95
Usually ships in 24 hours
Strength Training Over 50: Stay Fit and Fabulous
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 10/13/2008)
List Price: $19.95
Usually ships in 24 hours
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