Exercise Balls In The Workplace

                                                         

For some reason, Exercise Balls have been a hot question for me lately. So, I decided to type up a "little blurb" about it in case there were others out there that were curious, but afraid to ask.

During the day at work, I sit on an exercise ball in place of an office chair. I also have co-workers that do this, as well. There are a lot of articles out there that list the benefits of it, but I'm going to let you know what my experience has been. I actually did somewhat of an experiment on my own to see how, or if it even affected me. I found that it did in a big way. It allows me to have more energy – and I'm definitely more alert, that's for sure. This is probably because I have to balance myself and doesn't really leave room for napping unless I want to tip over and crack my head on a filing cabinet.

When I sit on my office chair my back gets stiff, I am tired by the end of the day and my focus is in multiple directions.  By sitting on my ball there's more give under my rump. It's not such a hard surface. It's like sitting on a pillow. Let's face it even the cushiest of chairs isn't all that cushy after 8 hours of sitting.

Ergonomically speaking, my posture is better because it requires me to sit forward, straight, and upright, which is definitely good for strengthening my core. If I'm sitting on my chair, I slouch and sometimes will curl my leg under my bum, which I know isn't good for my back.  I also am able to enjoy the occasional stretch or sit to break the minutes up and then it's right back to work – all without even getting up from my desk.

I have coworkers that have made the switch with me and won't go back to the dark side of office chairs. One of them even has back trouble and she notices a difference in how it helps with her chronic headaches.

If you're considering joining the "ditch the office chair club" try sitting on one while watching TV to see if you feel comfortable. Also make sure that you get the right size exercise ball that allows you to have your feet flat on the ground while still sitting high enough that you're not reaching for your keyboard. You should be looking straight ahead at your monitor without tilting your neck all around. That gets uncomfortable and can be straining on your neck and shoulders.

Although I personally recommend this – it’s not for everybody.  If you are looking for a change or have issues with sitting for long periods of time, it certainly won’t hurt to try it. 

Word of warning, there's always the occasional joker that walks by and says "Man that's some hemorrhoid". You have to appreciate creative humor like that. It has spread like wildfire at my office, so there are a good number of people that were skeptics and now love it. When you can't beat ‘em join ‘em, right?

To be on the safe side, be sure to ask your human resource department if exercise balls are allowed. Blow it up before you go to work, too. It takes a while to blow it up and it can tend to be a noisy process. Did I feel like a dork carrying a blown up ball through the parking lot? Yup! But, who cares if it makes your time at work more comfortable? Go in earlier if it's that big of a deal to you, or drop it off on the weekend if less people are in your office.

I hope this is helpful in some way. Let us know if you made the switch and what you think. We'd love to hear feedback. Have a great day and happy bouncing.