10 Clever Uses for an Exercise Ball

I bought an exercise ball a few years ago so I had something more comfortable to sit on at work. Those crappy Office Max chairs are comfy for about a week, but when you’re sitting on them all day for 8 hours, you begin to slouch, your posture falls apart, and they seem to lose all back support. However I love sitting on exercise balls. They’re great for stability and they’re an awesome addition to your home gym.

Since I have about zero creativity when it comes to working out (I like a routine), I spent a good few months looking around and trying out exercises using the exercise ball. Most of them are super simple and can be done with just the ball alone.

I found my exercise ball at Target for about $15. They come in a variety of sizes, each suited for people of different heights. Most boxes contain a chart to tell you what size exercise ball you need, or you can look online for helpful tips in shopping for an exercise ball.

The exercise ball is great for working all parts of your body…plus they’re a blast to work with!

• Place the exercise ball between your lower back and a wall. Use it as support when you do your wall sits.
• Lay flat on the floor and place the exercise ball between your feet. Keeping your stomach and lower back on the ground (it’ll feel like you’re sucking in your belly button), lift the ball up into the air while keeping your legs as straight as you can. Then lower back down. Do 3 sets of 8 reps for a killer ab workout.
• If you want to work more of your core, do the above exercise but instead of lowering your legs, bring the ball up into the air and grab hold of it with your arms. Lower the ball back behind your head while lowering your legs at the same time. Bring the ball up with your arms and grab hold of it with your ankles, then lower your arms and legs at the same time. So basically you’re moving the ball back and forth between your hands and feet. This is a great ab workout, but be sure to keep your lower back on the ground because you could hurt yourself if you’re not careful.
• You could also use the exercise ball as a bench for doing your arm weight training. Lay on the ball and roll forward until the ball is directly under your shoulders. Try to keep yourself flat like a table while doing a weight press or butterfly curl.
• Work your triceps by sitting on the floor and lifting and lowering the ball behind your head.
• Squats are some of the best butt exercises you can do, but we all know how strenuous and annoying they can be…but the exercise ball can help! If you need a little support, place the ball behind you as you do your squats. If you’re a beginner, try sitting on the ball lightly and then standing up. Do 8-10 reps and you’ll feel the burn in the morning!
• To help with your balance and stability, you can also simply sit on the ball when you work or watch TV. Some offices allow you to have ball chairs, which are great for improving your posture. Any exercise ball will work for these chairs, all you need is the base that allows you to keep the ball steady as you sit. The base also has wheels, so you can easily move around your desk.
• Here’s another killer ab workout. Lay on your stomach on the ball. Roll out until your feet are on the ball. Keeping your arms as steady as you can, bring your knees up towards your chest, then roll back out. Slow and steady wins the race on this workout.
• To take your pushups to the next level, lay on your stomach on the ball and roll out until only your feet rest on the ball. Do as many pushups as you can handle.

Bonus!

Here’s a great way to use an exercise ball that has nothing to do with exercise!

With a ball, some string, some Mod Podge (or spray adhesive), and plastic wrap, you can create a beautiful hanging light fixture for a fraction of what it would cost to buy one.

I found this photo tutorial on Pinterest, although the link does not go to the original blog.  If you are the creator of this project, please send me your original link and I’ll be sure to credit you for this fantastic idea!

Knowledge is power!  Learn fun facts, hints and tips, and creative ways to use every day items with “The Buzz” posts on Thursday.