planet earth, and your body are made up of a…
Balls to the WALL!
Balls to the Wall
What is it that happens at a company when all of a sudden you’re pulled into “Ergonomic Day”??…well I used to have to mute my opinions on their fascinating conclusions but now I can (belt it from the rooftops..LOL) express my professional opinion on the topics.
I know that some of you have been told that sitting on a stability ball at work is a no no. I would recommend asking your doctor, as I’m confident that for certain for some pre-exisiting issues it would be contra-indicated (not a good idea). Also if you are unable to sit on the ball due to balance then it’s probably not a good option for you either (email me for other options).
Perhaps someone is afraid of the POWER you might possess if you sat on a BIG RED BALL OF EMPOWERMENT. It could be as boundary challenging as using different FONTS in one document (and the crowd GASPS with shock!!).
For most of us, however, I think it’s a fun and great idea. I would recommend using it in small segments during the day. The idea is to engage your core in perfect posture. If you are too tired to be mindful of your posture, then it’s meaningless. If you got tired of it, you could also GET UP which is never a bad thing.
You could even burn a few more calories switching from ball to chair and back again during the day.
Size matters; choose a ball that fits you (they range in size measured in cm) for sitting with both feet on ground in perfect seated position.
I think the biggest issue for most of us is real estate. Ask yourself the following questions:
“Would I have room in my cube for both my chair and a ball?”
“Would my boss freak out if he saw a giant colored ball in my cube”…which, sadly, is a bigger dilemma…that stress could outweigh the benefits (like our previously blogged plant vs. dead plant conundrum..).
Here’s a nice pro BALL article:
http://www.gearfire.net/10-reasons-to-use-an-exercise-ball-as-your-chair/
I do disagree with some of this article (see number 5, “5. Get that 6-pack you’ve been wanting.”…they are WAY wrong about getting a 6 pack from the ball…unless you were sitting on it while ordering some Heineken’s online.
Abdominal work is critical for the health of your spinal vertebra….so it’s not an optional activity. You’ve gotta work for that 6-pack and your functional core strength..get with me and we can solve that.
Here we see some potential complications that could arise from using a stability ball rather than a chair.
I recommend you rent The Office Season 2 Episode 8–this is my favorite scene in the entire show:
Turn it up and listen CAREFULLY here (this is not great audio or video quality, but the best full scene I could fine….so really, rent the full episode):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60ch4zp_JYk&feature=related
Here are some other uses for your stability ball in the workplace–if nothing else…gives you something to ponder with a smile to get you through the day!!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgnqbQQ12lA&feature=related
Do what you can do!!
Want to Know More?
877-409-1758
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You can buy Heineken On line?