Many people who have started on an exercise program eventually stop. One of the reasons is they don’t enjoy exercising. Once they get to
that “battle with the will” stage, they start to view
Exercise more as a military training (with their fitness trainer as their commander!)
than a way to loosen those excess weight, and thus miss their goal.
But one of the great news in health and fitness is the innovation of exercise equipment and that includes the
Exercise Ball. The
use of this ball was only confined to physical therapy centres before. It is used mostly for strengthening exercises and often for children with
cerebral palsy, to improve balance and muscle strength. As the years have passed, fitness and health experts began to see it as a new way to do
upper
body exercises, achieving better results and having lesser risk for injury. But the best part of it is people didn’t think
that exercise could also be this much fun.
So how do you choose the right exercise ball for you? Before you buy that first exercise ball that you lay your eyes on, make sure that it’s
the right one for you. This can save you money and help you get the most out of your workouts. The
Exercise Ball comes in
different sizes. Choose one that is right for your height. To test it, sit on the ball and see if your hips are level or just slightly higher than your
knees. If you find it hard to reach the floor with your feet and fall off, it’s definitely too big for you. If your knees are too bent, it is too low
for you. You can choose also from standard sizes available in the market. The
Exercise Ball comes in: 55 cm – for heights
4'11" - 5'4"; 65 cm – for heights 5'5" - 5'11"; 75 cm – for heights 6'0" - 6' 7"
You can find various brands of exercise balls in department stores, sporting goods stores or you can also order online. Burst-resistant balls are also
available and these can hold a weight of 600 lbs. or more.
How does the exercise ball work? Exercise balls acts to “challenge” your body and puts it at an unbalanced position.
When you lie down on the ball, your legs and abdominals directly contract to prevent you from falling off. As you add an exercise in that position,
you increase the strength of the movement. Thus, you’re getting the most out of your exercise. You can avail of helpful
Exercise videos for
suggested workouts that suit you.
Exercise balls can also be used in different types of exercise. It can be used in weight training to add difficulty to movements and legs, butt and
abdominal muscles.
The exercise ball is also good for
abdominal training by using more muscles and adding effort on the movements. It can also be
used to improve posture just by sitting on it and raising your foot off the ground or balancing. This makes exercise more convenient and allows you
to do simple but helpful basic exercises. For yoga and Pilates fanatics,
Exercise Ball is a great way to improve
flexibility by using it for
stretching and relaxing. And of course for the fun of it, you can use it just to play around with your kids after that workout.
So its time to have a ball with exercise…literally!
