Fitness Ball Exercises

January 13th, 2010

Fitness Ball Exercise: Lose Weight, Gain Fitness & Strength

A fitness ball exercise routine is a great way to increase your fitness, get stronger and more flexible and lose weight. A fitness ball goes by many other names, including exercise ball, Swiss ball and many others, but most people have seen them at gyms or sporting goods stores. They look like large beach-balls that can be used for an amazing variety of exercises.

Fitness balls come in many sizes, and the size you choose is based on your height. General guidelines suggest a 55 cm ball if you are 5′4 or under, a 65 cm ball if you are between 5′5 and 5′11 and a 75 cm ball if you are over 6′. If you are especially short or tall you may need a special size. Fitness balls are durable, but if you are obese you can also find especially rugged ones that are made to hold extra weight.

The great thing about fitness balls is that they are simple, easy to carry around, inexpensive compared to most exercise equipment and give you the ability to work on your whole body. They are especially good for building what is known as core stability or core strength, which focuses on your lower back and abdomen. This is very important for overall fitness.

Fitness ball exercise routines can be very simple or quite advanced. At the most basic level, you can gain a lot just by sitting on your exercise ball! This is because the shape of the ball forces you to concentrate on your posture. Of course, if you want to get stronger, more flexible and maybe lose weight you will want to do more than practice sitting, but the point is that almost everything you do on your fitness ball can be beneficial.

If you have not used an exercise ball before, it is recommended that you either start out by getting instruction at a gym or getting a good book or video to help you get started.