A friend of mine from work uses one of the exercise balls as her office chair–has for years. Last year when visiting the office I tried it out – and decided that I would start looking for designs to build myself–as I wanted mine to be on wheels and raised up a bit higher than just the ball on the ground.
Um – yeah – way too busy to actually get around to building it–so I ended up buying one instead. I’ve been using it for about 6 months and I LOVE IT!!!
As you can see – I have modified the one I got–I cut a pool noodle and attached it to the frame (it would sometimes make a squeaky noise that bugged me) and I changed out the ball for one with little stretchy cords for arm exercises when I remember that they are there. I love that it has a back rest – though I rarely use it–it does help me when I’m tired to not fall off the back of the chair. I admit – I’m a bit of a klutz and am impressed that after about 6 months of using this I’ve only fallen off it twice 🙂
Since I work on computers all day – I often use the ball to help me get in a bit of exercise–which is the point of these. I will pick up my feet and balance as I sit there – I often just ‘roll’ on the ball in different directions – sometimes with feet on the ground and sometimes with them in the air a bit if I’m in the mood for a challenge. I know that my core muscles are stronger now–and this helps me challenge myself and enjoy a bit of ‘play’ as I try different moves. It’s an easy and fun way to add in a bit more activity throughout my day.
Another benefit I just realized while discussing this with someone today–as I’ve lost weight I am finding that sometimes my once ‘more padded posterior parts’ are now not always as comfortable in regular chairs–so using this has helped me be more comfortable while working as well–its very squishy and doesn’t hurt even after sitting for hours.
If you are interested in getting one too–here is an affiliate link to the same chair (with a regular ball) at Amazon – Affiliate Link – Ball Office Chair. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I have LOVED mine!