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Lauren Muney at age 40:
Wellness coach and featured in
"Fit Over 40: Role Models for Excellence"

Stability balls work your body - even when you aren't working out!

First things first: what is a "stability ball", and why do I need to use it at my desk? ("I already have a chair!")

A stability ball (also called a swiss ball, yoga ball, physio-ball, core-training ball, gym ball, fit ball, and other names) is a large-diameter rubber ball which is used for health and fitness purposes. Based on the principle of a ball not being stable, the basic idea is that placing your body on the ball means that the body will be constantly making minute adjustments to stabilize itself, using its muscles to balance - to keep from pitching over and falling on the ground. making these muscular/balance adjustments means constant work, and an active muscle is a strong muscle. Many fitness locations, websites, and programs use the ball for sit-ups, pushups, stretching, and even weight-training.

In fitness circles, on TV and the Internet, there is a new emphasis on "core training": that means, in regular speech, "the core" is the group of muscles of our abdomen and back, the 'core' of our body. The deep truth is that it takes strong abdominal muscles to support our back, and it takes good posture and a strong back to support our shoulders, chest, and head. Even our head weighs over 10 lbs -- when we get tired, we droop our head, our shoulders, cave our chests, and round our back . .. all of which create posture problems and possibly chronic back pain, neck problems, and, last but not least, a flabby back from non-used muscles!

Abdominal 'fitness' doesn't simply mean being able to see our "six-pack" at the front of our tummies: truly, that long stretch of 6 muscle-bumps is actually one muscle called the "rectus", which only stretches down the front of the body. However, the rectus is not the only muscle which keeps you looking slim and lean - there is actually a larger muscle which completely encircles the body --called the "transverse" abdominals"-- which create a girdle to not only keep your organs tightly inside the body, but also do two other things: make you look slim, and support your back. A well-conditioned transverse-abdominal will keep you healthy and make you look incredible!

Next, about the way we sit:
We, as a culture, sit badly. As a technological culture, we are frequently sitting at desks and in front of computers - slouching in chairs or purchasing more and more fluffy, sinkable chairs. Not that we can avoid sitting in front of computers if we have computer jobs, or that we don't deserve to sit in comfy chairs for relaxation. (We aren't here to hurt ourselves and sit on rocks for 8 hours!)

But these postures cause the curving of the spine, the caving-in of our chests, that I mentioned earlier. These can cause backaches, headaches, and even flabby, unused muscles in our backs, shoulders, and abdominals - not quite the slim, taut, healthy, fit body that most of us dream. If we aren't using the muscles the muscles will atrophy - and atrophying muscles are not fit, healthy, nor make us look any be.

A solution:

Sit on one of these stability balls while working at a desk - an unsteady surface, the body is forced to sit upright, put the legs in a supporting position, and the "core" is constantly making tiny balance-adjustments to keep the body "on board". By constantly moving, these stability-muscles will be tightening, thus "working-out"! The more these muscles are trained try to keep you still, the fitter you will be - both on the inside and on the outside.

(image at left courtesy of BodyTrends, not affiliated with Physical Mind. Their image is courtesy of Health Trek of Australia)

Want to test this theory?

If you have a stability ball already, go get it. (You will need the strong type -- it will be opaque and virtually puncture-resistant-- not the clear "yoga" style ball). Start your favorite TV show or have a nice chat with a friend; only instead of sitting in a chair or lounging on a couch, sit on the ball for just 30 minutes . . .

 . . . feel that?
Is your back sore from all the little muscles being used?
Do your legs feel sore from all the big muscles being used?
Is your butt a little tired from trying to stabilize?
Can you feel your stomach muscles?
You are working muscles which you rarely work at any other time other than training days!

For once, you are using all your muscles just to sit! Imagine, if you did frequent sessions just sitting on this ball -- not adding extra crazy exercises to your routine! You may have to work up to adding minutes to your "sitting" routine - but imagine what you might look like in your fit body if EVERY TIME you sat, you were actually improving your body shape, health, fitness, and also improving chronic problems but using your body the way it was intended.

I typed this entire article - and the entire day on the computer -- while sitting on my stability ball. Wow! I feel like I ran a marathon, and I didn't even train those muscles in the gym!

ADVANCED BALL WORK:

Sit on the ball as you normally would. Now pick up your feet (hold them against the ball itself) and rock your glutes backwards - you will no longer be using your feet as a balance point, but you will be trying to stabilize yourself on the ball. Try doing this for 15 minutes, maybe 25 minutes. What great training!

Just test it for yourself - and start sitting your way to fitness!
 

For more ideas on fitness, health, or "alternative" methods for your lifestyle, contact Lauren for coaching solutions!

ENJOY!