Exercise balls have always reminded me of the giant inflatable balls we used to play with as kids, however, an exercise ball isn't used for bouncing around at all, it's a workout tool that helps you with your exercises. If you're not sure of what you can do with an excise ball, or why it is beneficial for your workout, here are six reasons to use an exercise ball:
1. Maintains a proper posture.
Try sitting on one at your work desk instead of the chair for a couple of hours every day. You should be sitting on the exercise ball with a straight back, and not slumped back one. This will help lower the pressure on your spinal cord, hence resulting in a better posture.
2. Increases balance.
Exercising with an exercise ball mainly strengthens and tones your core muscles, which are the muscles in your abs and back. That's because no matter which steps you're performing on the exercise ball, the front and back of your body will be constantly moving to keep your balance on it.
3. Improves flexibility.
Use an exercise ball to warmup before you start your workout routine, which will help you stretch your body muscles in an easy and safe way.
4. Versatile workout tool.
Exercise balls are one of the most versatile workout tools, they can be used to assist you in situps, crunches and squats. They're also very light in weight and they're considered an inexpensive equipment that you can use for working out at home. If you'll be using the exercise ball to workout at home, consider a safe area/surface to use it at, as well as a suitable storage place.
5. Assists in yoga poses.
If you're into yoga, you can try out new yoga poses by incorporating in an exercise ball. It helps you get extra support for some moves that would require endurance or flexibility.
6. Replaces dumbbells.
Sculpt your arms by holding up an exercise ball and moving it up and down. Ditch the go-to dumbbells for this easy workout, where using an exercise ball will help you engage more muscles as you grip it.
P.S. Make sure you're using the correct size of an exercise ball that's right for your height. You'll know it's suitable when you sit on it, and your feet are flat on the floor with your knees bent at a 90 degrees angle.
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