Backless Balance Ball Chair
You may be wondering why you should consider buying the Gaiam Backless Balance Ball Chair when theres a model that includes a backrest. After all, backrests are better for you, right? Not this time.
Having a backless ball chair encourages better posture because you have to balance yourself without any aids. Youll get more of a core workout, and your posture will remain straight.
While lumbar support is all well and good , this chair improves posture by teaching you how to sit properly on any chair.
Pros
- not mobile when in use with the stability ring
Q: How Long Should You Sit On A Yoga Ball Chair
You should sit on your yoga ball chair for about one to two hours a day. This is just enough time to break the monotony of sitting in a classic desk chair without overdoing it. If you stick with the yoga ball for your entire workday, your back might just end up suffering instead of feeling better. This is because yoga balls lack the structure to stop you from slumping once your body starts to get tired. So, unless youre super disciplined regarding posture, its best to pick just a couple of hours to bounce.
Drawbacks Of Exercise Ball Chairs
Some studies have found little to no connection between using an exercise ball in the workplace and the purported benefits. In fact, some of the research shows the potential for injury.
- No core activation: Studies are split on the theory that sitting on an exercise ball increases core strength. While one analysis found that this form of active sitting engages the core muscles, others found no difference in how the core is used between an exercise ball and a regular desk chair.
- Insignificant calorie burn: If there’s any increased energy expenditure when sitting on an exercise ball, it’s likely fractional and not enough to reduce the health risks of sitting too long according to a 2015 study.
- Increased pain: Sitting for prolonged periods can lead to back pain, but using a stability ball may have a similar effect. One study found almost half of those who used the ball reported some pain when using it.
- Greater injury risk: Because an exercise ball chair is unstable, there is a potential for injury if you lose your balance and fall off the ball. You may also be injured if it breaks while sitting on it.
If you experience any pain when using an exercise ball as a chair, discuss it with your medical provider and consider discontinuing use.
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Why You Should Avoid An Exercise Ball As A Chair
Theresa Marko, DPT, a clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy, says, In general, I do NOT recommend sitting on an exercise ball at your desk if you have back pain. The reason being, is when you have back pain, you generally have muscle spasms. Then when sitting on a ball, you are making these already tight spasmed muscles work harder, and it results in increased pain.
For those with a poor posture habit, such as slouching over and leaning on the desk while working , you may experience even more discomfort and disadvantages if using a stability ball. Because an exercise ball requires you to keep your muscles engaged, you are likely to strain them more.
Another thing about stability balls is that most people would probably sit on one that is too low, which would hurt the back more, says Dr. Marko. The same ergonomic factors for a chair apply to stability balls, such as proper height. Finding the proper ball height for you and your desk can be difficult and more of an estimation. And unlike a chair, the ball constantly loses height as air pressure decreases every time you sit on it, requiring a separate pump and frequent adjustments.
Do You Want A Balance Chair With A Base
If you arent used to sitting on an exercise ball, and you like the stability of your regular desk variety, we recommend you buy one with a base. The base will stabilize the ball, keeping it from slipping out from under you, helping you get used to the seats elasticity and bounce. It will also elevate the ball, so you might have an easier time reaching your desk surface, depending on its height. Remember, the best way to sit at a desk includes your feet flat on the floor, your chin parallel to the ground, no bend in your neck, and computer screen at eye level this is true whether youre sitting on a balance ball, circle stool, or classic office chair.
Some ball chair bases will have adjustable, extendable legs and wheels. Castor wheels are always a plus they make it easier to roll and store a chair, plus its easy to slide around the room if you need a document or device that isnt already at your desk. A ball chair with a base and wheels will likely feel the most similar to your regular desk chair, making for a seamless transition.
Best balance ball chair with base: Gaiam Backless Balance Ball Chair
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Induce The Inspiration To Stretch
Maybe it’s just us, but it’s rather difficult as a trainer to sit on a stability ball without taking a break or two during the day to stretch out and relieve some tension.
The stability ball, in addition to functioning as your seat, can also be a tool to help you stretch to relieve any strain you might feel. It can also provide added support when you want to get a deeper stretch that you may not have been able to perform otherwise.
Q: Are There Other Alternatives To A Traditional Desk Chair
Yes, there are other alternatives to a traditional desk chair. Kneeling chairs, active stools, and saddle seats are great options to explore if you are looking for an ergonomic solution to back, neck, and shoulder strain. You can also look for traditional desk chairs designed with special features or customizable options to foster additional support. The best desk chair for your home office should never leave you feeling sore.
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What Are The Disadvantages
Continually sitting on an exercise ball at work requires constant muscle activation. This increases fatigue and discomfort. Do you think you can keep your core muscles engaged for a full work day? Your core isnt meant to be engaged for eight hours straight.
Lack of an appropriate back support feature results in discomfort and fatigue. The instability of the ball may lead to increased risk of falls and other associated injuries.
What Are The Advantages
Core strength can increase because the abdominal muscles are required to be engaged constantly to keep you upright and off the floor. When you improve core strength you may improve balance, stability and posture. There is an increase in the number of calories you burn from engaging your core muscle to maintain balance for the duration of the day.
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Kids Balance Ball Chair
Even pint-sized human beings need proper posture. Give your kids an early start with the Gaiam Child Size Balance Ball Chair. Gaiams kid-sized model comes with a removable backrest so your child can use it when they need to rest their legs.
Parents with children that have learning disorders such as ADHD and Sensory Integration Processing Disorder have found this chair incredibly useful in helping their child focus. Its just too bad that the chair is too small for many children, despite the age/size range listed.
Pros
- helps kids who cant sit still and have difficulty concentrating focus and sit still
- size is appropriate for pre-schoolers and first and second graders
Cons
- suitable for home, office, classroom, outside
Cons
- the cover is rough/itchy on bare legs
Safcos Zenergy Ball Chair looks a little odd, but its a great alternative to more mainstream medicine ball chairs that feel a bit slippery. The Zenergy chair is covered in mesh to provide more grip while sitting.
The stationary glides are a mixed basket on the one hand, you dont have to worry about castor wheel locks failing you. On the other hand, it can be difficult to move the chair around. Theres no height adjustment feature either aside from how much you inflate the ball.
Pros
- a soft and comfortable and washable cover
Cons
- some users prefer an electric pump
Start Active Sitting With Trideer Yoga Ball Office Chair
The Trideer exercise ball can be used by anyone from children to the elderly as a kids bouncy chair and an active seat to improve stability and coordination, increase strength and endurance, strengthen the core muscles and complement any resistance or aerobic fitness program. By using our meditation chair and yoga balance ball you will make your body feel and perform better. This yoga ball with legs and stability ball chair stool is a great addition to your office supplies.
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What If Your Child Is Just Plain Fidgety
You can act on this research whether or not your child has SPD or ADHD. As Henry and Barrows both note above, every kid has a need for movement. With or without a real ball chair, here are some things you can do to give your children more wiggle room while doing homework or other seated activities at home:
- If a child-size ball chair isn’t in the budget, have your child sit on a Kids Stay-N-Play Ball an appropriate-sized Balance Ball stability ball while reading, doing homework, even watching educational programming on TV.
- Place a resistance band on the legs of a chair so your child can bounce her feet up and down while she works.
- Tape sandpaper to the underside of a table or desk so your child can rub his fingers against it while sitting for any task.
- Provide a bin filled with objects your children can fidget with during time they are expected to sit still.
Suited For Exercise Not Your Desk
For all the benefits they may provide at the gym or in physical therapy, you might want to reconsider before outfitting your office with these inexpensive miracle cure devices. While they can offer certain advantages when used for a specific period of time for a specific short activity, but they present more risks than improvements when utilized as an office chair.
Instead, check out what the Ergonomics Guru has to say about our Wobble Stool.
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Benefits Of Exercise Ball Chairs
There are many perceived benefits of using an exercise ball, some of which include improved posture, more energy, and better overall balance. Since the ball prompts frequent position shifts, it may also increase your energy expenditure, which means more calories burned.
Researchers in a 2017 study monitored how bodies physically reacted over a 10-minute sitting period and concluded that sitting on a stability ball activated lower body muscles. Another study found that it might even boost core endurance.
Many proponents further believe that sitting on a ball encourages exercise. Once you have the ball handy, it’s easy to just roll back from the desk and do a few core-strengthening moves. As opposed to having a workout mat in your office, an exercise ball can support your hips and keep your hair in place for when you have to get back to work.
What If You Have An Exercise Ball At Home
For those of you at home who have an exercise ball rolling around the house, it isnt necessarily detrimental to use it intermittently . When youre ready to return to the comfort of your ergonomic chair, sit at the back against the back rest. In other words, move your chair closer to the desk, not your body.
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Stability Balls As An Office Chair
A stability ball, also known as a Swiss ball, exercise ball, or physioball, is a large, inflatable ball that is used as training equipment. Regularly incorporating the stability ball into your fitness routine is effective in increasing pillar strength, improving your stability, and helping you have better balance. It is large, making it high enough that it can easily be used as a desk chair.
At least one company has combined the fitness benefits of a stability ball with some of the convenient features of an office chair . Gaiam Balance Ball Chairs are stability balls that are intended to be used as chairs. The ball needs to be inflated before use and may need to be reinflated from time to time. It also has a 300-pound weight capacity. It is a somewhat pricier alternative to the plain stability ball.
Trideer Fitness Ball Offers A More Secure Way To Work Out And Train
- Extra Thick PVC: You can feel the thick quality which makes you feel safe when using it.
- Anti-Slip Matte Surface: For a secure grip
- Anti-Burst Tested: First-class processing makes sure it holds up to 2,000 lbs.
- Package Includes: Exercise Ball, User Manual, Quicker Inflation Foot-Pump , Plug, Plug Remover Tool, Measuring Tape.
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Best Balance Ball Chairs For Sitting Behind A Desk
This post contains affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.
Balance ball chairs offer a more active way of sitting behind your desk over the totally passive way we generally sit during an already immobile desk job.
More and more desk workers are defying their sluggish professional existence by using a stability ball as an office chair, in student dorms, and at home work stations. Weve gathered the best rated balance ball chairs for sitting and reviewed them.
Just to be clear, exercise or fitness ball chairs are also called:
therapy ball chairs, yoga ball chairs, stability balls, pilates balls for offices, gym balls, or ergo ball chairs.
Despite the complex nomenclature they all do the same thing improve your posture and mitigate the slothful pose that is so typical for desk work.
Home Office Design Important Get A Ball Chair That Doesnt Look Like Exercise Equipment
Maybe you want to keep your workouts and work-from-home aesthetics separate. Or perhaps youre a part of a shared workspace. Regardless of the reason, we totally understand wanting to find a ball chair that looks like its meant for the office. If you still want to use the ball for additional exercise, the easiest thing to look for will be an included cover. A cloth design in any color will camouflage the athletic polyvinyl chloride material underneath, giving off more of a cozy beanbag vibe. Once youre done with your workday, youll easily be able to unzip it and get to sweating.
If you want something compact that can stay out in the open all day without reminding you of the gym, look for a stylish, non-traditional model. These units will typically be permanently attached to a base and covered with a sleek, sturdy material, or theyll borrow from ball chair technology to create more of a swivel stool.
Best stylish balance ball chair: Zenergy Ball Chair
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Stability Ball Prone T
Tips For Sitting At A Desk
Most of my clients complain of new low back pains since theyve started working from home more, says NYC-based Physiotherapist Charlotte Sayers. This is due to increased time sitting and being less active. Our backs dont like to be held in the same postures for long periods of time, especially sitting.
The following tips for body position can make sitting at a desk for 8 hours much easier on your body.
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Great Ways To Tone Your Butt And Thighs On The Ball
Its arguably a womans one body zone thats the biggest pain in the butt to keep looking fit and firm. But you can really tone up your hips, thighs and butt with just a few simple exercises even if you have only 5 or 10 minutes. Certified stability ball fitness trainer Sue Hollingshead shows you how with the three-move Balance Ball exercise ball workout below.
Doing lower-body exercises on a Balance Ball or stability ball can whip this trouble zone into shape faster. Thats because the ball offers a combination of support and instability, says certified fitness instructor Suzanne Deason.
The support of the ball beneath you allows you to work harder without feeling overworked or strained, she explains. Yet you also have to stabilize yourself on the ball and that requires smaller core muscles not involved in traditional forms of exercise. Each movement demands a little more from your muscles, resulting in a very complete and effective workout.
Hollingshead recommends these moves because they really target the glutes, hamstrings and adductors . Theyre very effective at toning and strengthening these muscles that are key to a fit, shapely lower body.
Sitting On An Exercise Ball: The Research
I found a number of studies examining the benefits and drawbacks of sitting on an exercise ball at work. With a few exceptions, the research overwhelmingly shows that a chair is a better option than a ball, at least when youre at work.
A 2006 paper published in Human Factors examined differences between sitting on a stability ball and in an office chair in terms of trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine posture.1 The authors found that, though there was a small increase in the activation of certain trunk muscles, sitting on a ball resulted in significant discomfort. So, their recommendation is to avoid using a ball for this purpose.
Another study looked at similar variables and found an increase in spinal shrinkage in people who sit on an exercise ball,2 which certainly doesnt sound desirable.
Yet another research paper concluded that prolonged sitting on a dynamic, unstable seat surface does not significantly affect the magnitudes of muscle activation, spine posture, spine loads or overall spine stability. The authors also found higher levels of discomfort in the stability ball users, which may be a result of soft tissue compression against the ball.3
I found 1 paper that supports the use of stability balls for decreasing pain. In a case report published in the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 2 low back pain sufferers reported improvement in symptoms after changing from a chair to a ball.4
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