Exercise balls are all over the gym, and now they’ve found their way into many-an-office. That’s right—some people use exercise balls as chairs, hoping that they will help lead to a stronger, more supported back. But are exercise ball chairs really good for your back, or can they actually cause issues? Following are five reasons that we say yes to ball chairs!
1. Helps proper spine alignment
Since an exercise ball isn’t exactly stable, your body will constantly work to balance. It just so happens that the proper spinal posture is the easiest to balance with. Therefore, as you continue to work on balancing, your body will force you to sit with good posture.
2. Makes you constantly move around
Again, we’ll reemphasize the fact that exercise ball chairs aren’t stable. This means that you’ll frequently change positions to keep your balance. Other than forcing spine alignment, this constant moving means that you won’t sit in the same position for a prolonged period of time, which could lead to chronic back and neck pain.
3. Improves circulation throughout the body
While a typical office desk chair can actually reduce circulation to some parts of your body after prolonged use, an exercise ball chair does the exact opposite. Blood will be able to circulate freely to all parts of your body, preventing any sort of muscle aches or stiffness.
4. Strengthens your core
Another great perk of exercise ball chairs is that they’re terrific for giving you great abs. The constant balancing and changing of positions helps strengthen your core, giving you those sexy muscles—and more. Did you know that a stronger core will actually relieve back pain? Now you do!
Those are just four reasons that exercise ball chairs are great for your back. What’s your opinion on using exercise balls as chairs? Do you think they’re a godsend, or do you think they’re overrated?