Exercising with a fitness ball is a great way to keep fit especially if you have recovered from a physical injury. That is why the fitness ball was developed to help injured athletes and patients to improve their physical health without putting undue stress on their body. In this way the exercise fitness ball provides an effective and a fun way to get you into shape as well making your body toned.
Since its invention the bouncy fitness exercise ball has been used in a number of different types of exercise disciplines such as aerobics, yoga and Pilates. However, the fitness ball is underutilised because it is not taken that seriously because many people have the perception that it is more of a fun thing than a serious piece of exercise equipment. This could not be further from the truth as many physical therapists have used it successfully to help rehabilitate athletes recovering from serious injury. When used properly the fitness ball is a very effective exercise tool that can develop your body’s central core, strength and balance.
As most people live a sedentary lifestyle that involves spending most of their day at work sitting at a desk they can develop bad habits that result in poor posture. In the long term this can lead to health implications however, using a fitness ball can help you improve your posture and strengthen your back. By sitting on the ball you have no back support therefore, to remain straight and steady you have to engage certain muscles to remain stable and upright. By utilising these muscles they will eventually strengthen your back, improve your control and posture which can help to prevent or relieve back pain.
When you sit on the ball and try and remain upright you will find that your lower back and hips will start to move side to side. What you need to do is remain still and upright for as long as you can. Overtime you will get better at this and as you improve you can inject a little variety into this exercise by moving the ball then stopping the movement and remaining still. By doing this you are giving your back muscles, leg and stomach muscles a good workout by maintaining and controlling the movement.
If you are interested in purchasing a fitness ball you can buy them from most fitness stores and they are also widely available online. Before you buy you need to choose the size of the ball that is most suitable for your body. As a rule when sitting on the exercise ball you should be able to put your feet flatly on the floor. Your lower back, your hips, thighs should be level and your knees bent at a 90 degree angle as if you were sitting upright in a chair.
