“Excuse me? An exercise ball as my desk chair? Why in the world would I want to do that? Work is stressful enough for me — why would I make things harder for myself with an uncomfortable desk chair?” Fair questions — let’s answer all of them in this blog post!
The Move Away From Ergonomic Chairs
Productivity nuts have been moving away from ergonomic desk chairs for a long time. They’ve simply found that comfortable chairs hurt productivity, which means more missed deadlines, more overtime hours, and more stress in the long run.
That’s why they tried using backless chairs to stay alert and motivated. Then they tried stools with the third leg cut off, forcing them to half-stand throughout the workday. And now, they’ve discovered a new favorite desk chair alternative — exercise balls!
Exercise Balls As Desk Chairs
Exercise balls have several benefits over the traditional desk chair. For instance, without the back support, you’re forced to assume the correct posture to keep your balance on the exercise ball. Workers have sworn this slight change made their neck and shoulder problems disappear overnight.
Secondly, an exercise ball desk chair strengthens your core. Every position change necessitates an adjustment to stay balanced on the ball, so you don’t get suckered into staying in one position for too long — a common breeding ground of health problems for mouse potatoes.
Thirdly, all that extra work helps you lose weight. Some people claim to have lost up to 7 pounds in the first month of using an exercise ball as a desk chair. If you’d like to lose a few pounds, it shouldn’t hurt to try!
Other benefits include increased productivity — you focus better, and you don’t surf mindlessly as much — and savings, since a good exercise ball is easily a hundred dollars cheaper than an ergonomic desk chair.
Choosing An Exercise Ball
When choosing your first exercise ball desk chair, make sure to choose a size that’s appropriate for your height. If you’re 165cm tall, then a 65cm ball would do — if you’re 175cm or taller, then choose a bigger 75cm ball. Just make sure your thighs are parallel to the floor when you sit on the ball.
Also, don’t jump into using your exercise ball desk chair. You might hurt your productivity — or worse, hurt yourself. Ease into it by returning to your desk chair when you get tired.
Have You Tried Using An Exercise Ball?
If you have any experiences using an exercise ball as your desk chair, we’d like to hear your stories! Feel free to share them in the comments box below.
Leave a comment
Originally published at https://www.vitactivate.com on December 24, 2019.