Balls to Exercise

Excuse the expression, but it’s true, we’ve gone mad for balls and with good reason too…

Gym Balls* were first used by physiotherapists to assist their patients with recovery, yet in recent years they have become a must have not only in popular gym chains and home gyms, but now in offices and bedrooms as well.

Why are they appearing at work and in our living rooms?

Gym Balls are the new beanbag, with the added benefit that they are great for improving posture.

You see, when you are sitting on a Gym Ball, to keep your balance your body will automatically use your core muscles to keep you steady (even when you think you are perfectly balanced, those muscles will be hard at work without you even noticing) and it is strength in these core muscles round your back and abdomen that are essential for posture. Plus keeping your balance is also much easier when you are sitting up straight, rather than doing the teenage slouch!

Hence Gym Balls are ideal for using instead of a chair at the office, helping to prevent back pain and even burning a few extra calories through the unconscious exercise of those core muscles we were talking about.

Another reason for the rise in popularity of Gym Balls is the available resources such as DVDs and books that show you how to correctly use them.

Furriballs!

As for their use other than for exercise, we love the ingenious new accessories known as Furriballs. Which are specially designed covers that turn the cool rubber of balls into soft fury fun that look right at home in bedrooms, home offices and in front of TVs everywhere.

*Gym Ball is just one name for these balls, they are also commonly known by other names such as exercise ball, fitball, swiss ball, stability ball, core ball, balance ball and birthing ball.