Fitness is not only eating good and going for a walk or jog daily. Fitness is also about strengthening your muscles and core along with the stability and flexibility of the entire body to prevent injuries in the future. Whether you choose to do yoga, join swimming, try Pilates or even get a gym membership, the basic idea is to get in shape, stay in shape and strengthening your muscles. Keeping this in mind, many coaches and trainers are suggesting their students try the gym ball.
Using the gym ball?
Those who are familiar with the gym ball know that this ball comes in varied shapes and the ones you choose depend on your requirements. Whether you are planning to sit on the ball or use it as an exercise tool as in performing lifting workouts, the difficulty of working with this ball makes sure that you do not rush through your workout which actually aims to develop the muscles better and provide long-lasting stability. The history of the gym ball is fascinating too for it was first used to work in conditioning the neurological development as it worked on the kinetics functioning. The basic idea behind the utilization of the exercise ball or gym ball is to work on an uneven surface so that the body uses more muscle groups and in a way, you are working all of the major muscle groups rather than just one set at a time. But, there are other uses of the gym ball, and here are 5 uses that are beneficial for the body:
Posture correction can be achieved when you are using the gym ball as your seat instead of a traditional chair. All of us suffer from poor posture and before long we have successfully injured our spine. To prevent any spinal injury, the need to correct the posture takes priority. The constant motion of the gym ball not only keeps you active but your back is straight without your spine and pelvic muscles feeling the pressure as you are not subjected to a hard seat.
The core is an essential part of helping us be stronger throughout and maintain our balance through an aligned center of gravity. And working on the core is effective when you challenge yourself. Planks are considered best in developing the overall strength and toning all the while working on a stronger core. Add a gym ball to the mix and the workout becomes interesting as you have to maintain your balance and keep the ball in place with your feet. On the side, your core will develop that much faster and stronger.
Whether you are suffering from any spinal disorders or want to prevent a future of backaches, doing the ergonomic lift using the gym ball will be on the list of recommendations. The workout is simple, you perform the wall sitting and squat but you place the ball between your body and the wall and then you balance the ball all the while going down to the squat position and hold the pose for 10 seconds. Doing this for 5 times will be enough for a day.
Pregnancy yoga also utilizes the gentleness of the gym ball in order to help the women maintain a proper balance to support their backs and relieve then from the extra weight.
The term active sitting is beneficial to help you have a proper circulation to prevent muscles from becoming numb. When you are sitting for a long period on a chair you might start feeling a tingling sensation in your lower limb. This is an indication of a slow circulation. Switch the chair with a gym ball and you are in the active sitting mode. Your lower body is working to show that the circulation is maintained.
From being a conventional medical aid to becoming a fitness provider and now coming to help you stay healthy and work better, the gym ball has come a long way in helping people find a better lifestyle and work better. Be it for weight loss purpose, be it to help lessen the injuries of the spine or to simply have better balance, the versatility of the exercise ball is endless.
Comments