I hate sitting in a chair all day. I feel all cramped up and stuck in the shape of a chair when I get up. I was reading a fitness magazine while sitting in a chair at a doctor's office, and there was an article about little 'workouts' you can do that take no extra time out of your day. One of those was to swap out your desk chair for an exercise ball! It makes you use your abs and back to keep you balanced rather than relying on a chair to do it- a little more effort than just sitting on a stool. Sounded good to me, and since I'm already the office weirdo I thought I'd try it! So here I am, sitting on a giant ball! I've already gotten the parade of people with questions and silly comments, and it wasn't as bad as I expected! I find it pretty comfortable, really, since the thing conforms to me rather than the other way around in a chair. So anyhoo...if anyone tries it, lemme know! I got mine at Target. I think it was somewhere around $30 (came with a video tape). The brand I got comes in small, medium, large. I got the large, but I think I should have gotten the medium (I'm about 5'3").

Pretty sharp idea Nat, i may give that a whirl, thanks

I may have to try that also. Is this what you have?

Target Ball

When seated @ your desk, how high are you in relation to your normal chair?

ThanX Nat!!

Yup! That's it! I have the purple one at home for actual exercise. I am now sitting at probably the same height as the chair, but I had to let some air out. Man this thing is giant. I almost couldn't fit it in my car! It's a good height now, but when I sit on it it squashes out and it's too wide. Almost like a kid who's feet can't touch the floor. Two hours on...I'm feeling it a little in my lower back. In a good way though.

Cooool! Would you mind shooting us another report after a week or so "on the ball", so to speak? If it works out for you, I'm willing to live with the comments of my co-workers! They will really have a field day with this one, though!

ThanX again, Nat!!!!

That is a great idea Nat!
I think I'll give it a try!

A couple of us at work have been talking about doing the same thing. I second the idea of you letting us know what you think after a few days.

An entire section of our office has done this for a few months. While nothing physical has changed about them it does encourage proper sitting which I am sure is helping their backs

I saw a chair designed for that. I will post a pic. They seem pricey but pretty cool. (Around $230)

But there isn't any point to that one. It is stable and has a back rest. Defeats the purpose...

Whatever you choose to sit in (good chairs are expensive--I'm sitting in a $700 one right now) be sure to stand up and move around a little, stretch, etc. every 30 minutes. Sitting is one of the most stressful positions for your low back. BTW, my chair was worth the money--I never get back aches or sore thighs with this one. It's from Relax The Back. I went thru 3 "cheap" chairs (some up to $130) and they all sucked eventually. The best one's support gave out after 6 months, got wobbly too. I shoulda got this one right off the bat instead of paying for 3 that almost added up to this one.

I remember at a previous employment when we all got new office chairs... along with a new office building. The chairs where Herman-Miller Aerons and I believe they cost around $800 a piece. They're the ones with the mesh for cushions... The SaddleCo Flow saddle reminds me of those chairs. Anyways, those chairs (like many office chairs these days) came shipped with all sorts of labels and pamphlets attached describing various ergonomic features. One particular pamphlet was devoted to office stretching exercises. I've always found it best to take a break every half-hour to hour and go for a little walk around the office. In addition to helping me get some more movement of the rest of my body, it also helped clear my head. Perhaps bike manufacturers could get in on the act and convince chair manufacturers to attach pamphlets extolling the benefits of a short bike ride.

My family had been using a swiss ball for sitting on whilst using the commputer for about 2 yrs ('spost to be good for your core strength) , till a few months ago when the bloody thing burst with out warning when I was 1/2 way through writing an e-mail For no apparent reason I suddenly found my self sitting on the floor :confused: It must have become perished as there was a split about a foot long in it

Will try to keep you guys posted Not a single goofy comment so far today! Yeah, I'm wondering when it's going to pop. You know it's gotta some day!

I was only at work for half a day yesterday, but by maybe 5:30 I felt like I needed to stretch my lower back. It wasn't stiff or sore, but I could feel it. Again, in a good way. I guess I should say if you have real trouble with your lower back, be careful, and maybe don't sit on it ALL day the first day.

Be careful with eating lunch at your desk... especially if you're having soup. I'd also be paranoid about drinking anything... especially hot-coffee.

BTW, why use exercise balls instead of those balls with handles on them we had as kids that you could bounce around on? Remember them? Or am I dating myself? I mean, this way, you'd not only have a seat but also a form of transportation. And I bet those balls can take more punishment than an exercise ball. Then again, there may be a weight limitation since they were designed for children.

Those balls with the ears work fine - test them in your local Toys'R'Us... They're still being sold around some parts. The one I had as a child were however slighly tear dropped shaped and I suggest OK for moving around but not particularly good for balancing. Sure would make descending the stairs to the upstairs offices fun though?

hehe I may try bouncing around the office without the handles anyway Or kind of hugging it and doing front rolls down the hallway. There's this nice wheelchair ramp... Can't hurt my reputation any. Another lady in the office suggested charging a dollar for every poor bored sucker who comes in to gawk. I switched to my chair while I'm eating and now I'm getting stupid comments about that

You can also buy aftermarket handles and harnesses for those exercise balls to turn them into the old Hippity-Hops.

Hello!

Just wanted to note that if you are buying the cheaper versions make sure they are "non-burstable" I'm fairly sure that most are of this quality, but some are not, which can result in ...as you would assume Busting! Also, the proper sized physioball or swiss ball or exercise ball or whatever you call it should allow you to sit so your quadriceps are parallel to the floor...know what I mean? So your knees aren't above or below your thighs. Just a few notes! And I'm sure doing some back extensions and ab work on your lunch break can't hurt to maintain a strong core. I just read that for every abdominal exercise you do, you should correspond it with atleast one or two back exercises to insure a properly balanced core. i.e. Supermans, med ball supermans, back extensions, etc etc. ALSO! If your hamstrings are tight or not as flexible as they should be that can create lower back pain.

Hope this helps! And great idea with the desk/ball combo!

Sara

Wow..I've used my chair the last two days because my back was slightly sore (not from sitting on the ball) and I did physical therapy this morning for the first time and I feel so STIFF after sitting in the chair! Yuck! Mostly my legs and back. I felt stiff in the chair before, but after using the ball it really sucks!

Too weird for me. To each his/her own I suppose. I'd be in the pointing/laughing group.

What goes around comes around, bike geek

Hey! I resemble that remark!!

Nat!!! Checkout OFFICEDEPOT...girl they SELL THEM!!!