Exercise ball exercises are becoming more common in
the office as employees search for options to the discomfort they experience
from sitting at a computer all day. The prominent thoughts are that exercise
ball exercises require you to keep balance through the use of the "core
muscles" (back, abdominals, and gluteals) and that sitting on a ball will
strengthen these muscles and enhance posture and reduce discomfort. As much as
strengthening muscles is a good idea and the Exercise ball exercises is one of
many good games that will help to accomplish this action, most persons are not
fit enough to sit on them for the whole day!
Normal
workplace chairs can be especially confining and hard on the back. Most proper
business can current are really office products, office furniture and so forth.
Exercise ball chair fairly prevalent as a replacement for usual ergonomics
workplace chair. It has turn out to be really common to replace workplace
chairs, as nicely as any other chair, with exercise balls. In some ways the
exercise ball chair could possibly properly be the greatest office chair. You
wouldn't go and work out at the gym for the whole day, nor would you do sit-ups
or rowing the whole day, so why would you "work out" through the
exercise ball exercises at the office all day?
However,
the problem with exercise ball exercises in the office lies in the fact that
employees, who may or may not be fit already, are giving up their chairs, which
provide support for the back, especially the key "lumbar curve", and using
these balls as a chair. After only a short time, most people will move from the
good "neutral back position" to a "slumped position", where
they are putting pressure on the discs in their back and compromising their
posture. Over time, this "slumped" position and lack of back support
can increase muscle stress in the back, between the shoulder blades, cause the
shoulders to roll forward and the chin to jut forward. Maybe you have also
heard of safety issues related to exercise ball exercises in offices;
specifically people falling off them, especially as their muscles fatigue.
Actually
the sports therapist does not generally recommend the exercise ball exercises
in the workplace environment, although your body is working fairly challenging
to keep your balance when you are sitting on an exercise ball, and the exercise
ball exercises will generate blood flow during your body during the entire day.
Entire function out routines have been created about the versatility of the
exercise ball exercises, so however, if you feel a strong urge to use one,
either at the office or at home, the next tips are recommended to make sure you
remain safe and healthy on the ball:
1. Most Important: Keep a very good chair
(with good back and lumbar support) nearby and move your body into it once you
feel yourself slump / slouch on the exercise ball.
2. It is recommended that you slowly
increase the amount of time spent on exercise ball exercises.
When you first get it, you may find that
you start to fatigue and "slump" after only 5 minutes but that over
time, you can sit on the exercise ball for longer periods before you fatigue.
So introduce the ball for a short period of time initially and gradually
increase the time frame used.
3. Maintain the Natural Curve of your
Spine.
You should be sitting upright on the
exercise ball, with your weight equally distributed between your butt cheeks
and ideally, with equal weight between your feet on the floor. Your chest
should be pointed forward and your shoulders back. You can do this by squeezing
your shoulder blades together. Keep your chin level and your ears over your
shoulders. You will likely feel your upper back muscles working here to
maintain this posture. This is part of the "working of the muscles"
that you are trying to achieve. You will also likely feel your abdominal
muscles tighten.
4. Move off the exercise ball onto your
chair once you feel your muscles fatigue and you want to slouch your body. Sit
back in your chair so you use the backrest to help relax your muscles. Once the
muscles are fully relaxed, you may return to the exercise ball. Sports
therapist recommends that you take at least as long off the exercise ball as
you are on it (so if you sit on it for half an hour, then sit on the chair for
at least half an hour).
5. Ensure the exercise ball is sized and
inflated properly for you. When sitting on it, your hips should be bent at
between a 90 - 110 degree angle (Never have your knees higher than your hips)
and your knees should be at approximately 90 degrees. Your feet should be able
to sit flat on the floor, not just your toes tucked in behind you or beside the
ball. You can get different sized balls so ensure the one you purchase is sized
for your height.
6. Keep on being aware of what you are
doing during the exercise ball exercises. People have fallen off exercise ball
and seriously harm themselves. Some organizations have banned their use for
this very reason. When you shift, ensure the ball doesn't go away from you.
