Maybe your office isn’t as trendy as you thought it was—if you’re not seeing bright-colored
yoga balls bouncing everywhere, you might be stuck at a dead-end job!
Just kidding, but really, the yoga ball trend for desks has been getting around.
Whether you have a home office or are at a desk job away from home all day, or even if it’s
not a “desk job” but still requires an abhorrent amount of sitting, here are five great reasons
to replace your office chair with a yoga ball.
1. Improve Posture
Getting the correct-size yoga ball is important for this one.
Your thighs should be nearly parallel to the ground, so your legs will be at a 90-degree angle.
If your yoga ball is too big, you’ll be slouching over.
If it’s too small, well, you’ll have to bend your arms at odd angles to reach the keyboard.
With the right size yoga ball, your posture can improve.
This is because when sitting properly on the yoga ball, you need to keep your balance, so
it makes your spine shoot up.
Now, this will require muscle work, whether or not you can feel it, so you may be sore
after a couple days.
Keep trying it out and soon you won’t be sore at all and you’ll be rocking the yoga ball!
Benefits: Improving posture is something nearly all of us could use a little help on.
The benefits of improved posture include:
• less chronic back pain
• better posture even when you’re not sitting on your yoga ball
• you’ll have a stronger core
• open up your chest area to breathe better, especially when you practice good posture during exercise
• burn more calories
• Feel confident
The benefits of good posture are endless for your bod!
2. Sneak in a Mini Workout
If you’re like a lot of working people, you’re probably struggling to maintain that work/life
balance and get in a workout most days of the week.
Sometimes it just doesn’t happen, am I right?
By swapping your lame office chair for an awesome yoga ball, you’ll be sneaking in mini workouts!
This is because the ball, being of a circular nature, will shift and move throughout the day.
Your body will be forced to accommodate these tiny movements by working muscles to keep
your balance.
Dr. Gil Kentof of Dr. Gil Center for Back, Neck, and Chronic Pain Relief explains how using a yoga
ball can help prevent future health problems when it comes to exercising at your desk:
“Using an exercise ball for core strengthening is one
of the best ways to prevent lower back problems.
You can also use this yoga ball to stretch backwards
during the workday.
Even a 30-second roll on the ball bending backwards
over the ball can relieve the compressive effects
of prolonged sitting.”
Benefits:
• Help get a tight core—you’ll be surprised how toned your abs can get from this!
• Burn calories throughout the day, something you’re not doing much of by sitting
• Feel less guilty when you can’t workout later
• Improve stability and balance
• Add more movement to your workday
Who doesn’t love a workout that doesn’t feel like a workout?
3. Get Your Blood Flowing
Sitting at your desk all day is just not getting you pumped up—true or false?
If you answered false, you probably have an awesome job, and that’s great for you!
But you could make it even more awesome by having a yoga ball for a chair.
Using the yoga ball in place of your standard desk chair helps improve your circulation
and get your blood flowing in addition to burning calories.
You can move freely on the yoga ball and even use it for stretch breaks!
Benefits:
• Get more oxygen and blood to your brain, therefore increasing your productive juices and brain power
• Improved digestion
• Increased energy
• Better regulation of body temperature
You’d be surprised how much circulation affects your health!
4. Inexpensive Alternative
News flash—yoga balls are actually pretty cheap!
I got mine on Amazon.com for a whopping $15.
Seriously, you can’t go wrong with that.
Even if for some reason you decide you hate the ball, it’s not like you invested hundreds
of dollars in it, and you won’t feel weird about tossing it out your office window when it’s
just not working for you (ok, don’t do that, you could injure someone or cause a traffic
accident).
Make sure to get an anti-burst ball, just in case!
Benefits:
• Get the one you love—it’s not that expensive!
• Pick your favorite color
• Don’t feel bad if it doesn’t work out
• Save money instead of buying a fancy office chair
Really, what have you got to lose?
5. Reduce Health Problems Associated with Your Desk Job
You may not know this, but sitting all day at your desk job is really not helping your body out.
In fact, it’s increasing your risk for pretty much every major health problem.
Our bodies were made to move, so move!
Incorporating a yoga ball into your office job can help you move more, feel better, and
decrease your risk of major health problems.
Moving never felt so good!
Benefits:
• Decrease your risk of getting cardiovascular disease
• Decrease your risk of having a heart attack
• Decrease your risk of certain cancers
• Decrease the likelihood of having leg and hip problems in the future
• Improve digestion, circulation, brain function, posture, and more!
Replacing your boring desk chair with a colorful yoga ball has many benefits.
Besides looking awesome and having fun, you can actually help your health out in the long run.
While sometimes having a desk job is necessary, you don’t have to let it ruin your health.
Stay fresh, healthy, and fit with a yoga ball for your office chair!
About the Author:
Jenn Ryan is a freelance writer and editor who’s passionate about holistic health, animals, fitness, and gluten-free. She loves running, reading, and playing with her four rescued bunnies.
Have you considered sitting on a yoga ball instead of a chair?
Do you use a yoga ball in your office?
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