Swiss Ball Chair

Sitting on the Swiss Ball Chair results in anatomically better posture and stronger core muscles.

While sitting on an exercise ball, your body responds to its movements, making small adjustments within core postural muscles (abdominals, glutes and leg muscles). This is called "active sitting," rather than ordinary "static" chair sitting.

Interest in active sitting is growing because of the negative health effects associated with traditional static or fixed sitting. The rocking chair is a commmon example of active sitting. The ergonomic principle behind active sitting is that flexibility and movement are beneficial to the human body while it is in a sitting pose.

When you "try" to sit steady on the Swiss Ball Chair, your muscles are constantly adjusting to its unsteady and gently rolling movements. The Swiss Ball Chair doesn’t hold you in a fixed position like a regular chair.

Your leg and back muscles sit you down on the ball. Your back and abdominal muscles hold you upright. Active sitting encourages movement. As your muscles respond to the movement, they get stronger.

Sitting is no longer static. It is a movement unto itself. It starts like a new exercise. Begin slowly. Alternate your static sitting chair with your new Swiss Ball Chair. Let your musculature adapt to the changes. Your back and abdominal muscles will get stronger. Your sitting and standing posture will get taller and stronger. Your balance is steadier.

What started as deliberate postural improvement becomes your body comfortable, changed and sitting up straight.

Did you know?

Strengthening your core muscles will:

• steady your posture
• reduce belly fat
• tone your muscles
• increase circulation
• improve flexibility
• relieve chronic pain

The Swill Ball Chair can be used like an exercise ball for stretching and toning your muscles. The manual illustrates basic stretches to advanced free weight exercises.

Features

The Ball Chair comes ready to assemble.

Fits under a standard-height desk.

250 lb weight capacity

What's in the box:

50 cm anti burst ball

A hand-operated air pump

Platform support for the ball

Four casters with on/off locks

Manual of instructions

Katie Messina's 3rd-grade class uses ball chairs. The kids love them, and she loves them, too. Check out the article in the Muskegon (MI) Chronicle.

Want to read more about ball chairs in the work place?

Check out "Working on the Ball: A Simple Guide to Office Fitness" by Jane Clapp and Sarah Robichaud (Andrews McMeel Publishing).

According to the authors, "There are whole offices and schools outfitted with the balls in Europe. It's a growing trend to combat the effects of sitting... fitness professionals in North America are realizing how damaging sitting can be, causing lack of alertness, back pain and bad posture."

Active Sitting products allow the seat to follow and conform to the movements and physiology of the sitter.

Some products offer different kinds of movement: forward and backward, side to side, or 360 degree wobble.

-from the Wikipedia entry about Active Sitting

"Ergonomics is a discipline that involves arranging the environment to fit the person in it.

When ergonomics is applied correctly in the work environment, visual and musculoskeletal discomfort and fatigue are reduced significantly."

-from the CDC Web site