Welcome to the February issue of The Health Bounce!

This month's newsletter has an informative article about Active Sitting or the practice of engaging your core muscles to support yourself when seated. We are also featuring two of our favorite new FitBALL products. We hope you find this month's newsletter helpful and enlightening. Stay healthy and warm...Spring is just around the corner!

By Amir Nevo, BScK, CSCS, PFLC

Did you ever think that sitting could be a form of helpful exercise?

It is, but it’s called “active sitting,” and it is a term that can be used to describe the way you SHOULD be sitting throughout your workday. Do you sit at a desk at your work? Do you sit on the same chair hour after hour, day after day, week after week? If so, then it’s time to make a switch!

Companies develop better ergonomic office chairs every year, yet even strictly using the best ergonomic chair might not be the best or only option for your seated workday. For many people who work in an office setting, sitting in an office chair without adequate back support, or sitting in an office chair and maintaining a prolonged rigid or slumped posture, can create a great deal of stress on the lower back. This lack of back support and lack of spinal muscles being engaged to support the back, stresses the soft tissues and joints in the spine. The bottom line is prolonged sitting in any kind of chair, no matter how ergonomically correct it appears to be, can lead to poor posture habits, reduced core stability, increased muscle tension, and can ultimately aggravate pain in the lower back.

So what steps can you take to avoid all of this?

A stability ball makes a great exercise tool and is believed to improve spinal/core stability and could reduce the risk of back pain, but it can be used in more ways than just at the gym!

Consider taking the ball with you to work. Of course, you should check with your superior first, to see if it’s okay. Admittedly, if you’ve never used one, you may be wondering what good an inflated vinyl ball can really do for you in the gym, let alone at work, but don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this very effective fitness device. When sitting in an office chair, many people tend to shift their weight forward which increases stress on the soft tissue, joints and discs. This can subsequently create muscle tension and pain in the lower back and legs. By replacing your office chair with a stability ball, the ball will force you to be more aware of your posture and will make it more difficult to shift your weight forward. Furthermore, people tend to shift and change body position more often while sitting on the ball, which is believed to be better for you than sitting in one position for long periods of time.

It is important to remember, however, that sitting on a stability ball for prolonged periods, whether a few hours or a full day, can get tiring since so many muscles are engaged while doing so. Just like when you get sore when you first start to lift weights and exercise in a gym, the same goes for sitting on a stability ball for an extended period of time. The more physically fit you are, and the stronger the core you have, the less likely that prolonged sitting on a stability ball will tire you or cause pain. Therefore, if you choose to try sitting on a stability ball at work, use your judgment as to how long you should sit on it before switching back to a more stable environment. As you get stronger you can extend the period of time you sit on it.

As you use your stability ball more and more, you will strengthen your core, improve your posture, and hopefully reduce risk of back pain. The instability of sitting on a ball keeps you aware of your posture and requires constant weight shifting, which can alleviate the type of pain that is associated with prolonged sitting and associated back pain.

Tips to remember:

1. Take breaks to get up and move around, stand and stretch every 20 minutes, regardless of whether you are sitting on an office chair or a stability ball.

2. Change up your seating arrangements (ball, chair, kneeling device, etc) weekly, or even daily or hourly.

3. Once you start to feel discomfort, it’s time to switch your seating arrangements.

4. Consult with a personal fitness trainer to help you with your ball exercise program.

5. Prolonged sitting of any kind is contraindicated for good back health. If you feel pain from prolonged sitting, consult your doctor or a physical therapist to help resolve your pain issues.

The stability ball may be one of the most inexpensive and most effective tools for strengthening the core and improving one’s fitness. By regularly using a stability ball for your workouts at the gym, you can dramatically increase your core stability following structured exercises which incorporate the ball. Consulting with a personal trainer, or by watching a structured DVD authored by a certified fitness professional are both excellent ways for helping you design a stability ball workout that will address your core stability in the most effective way.

You can learn over 75 unique exercises using the stability ball when you purchase Amir Nevo’s “I Bought the Ball ... Now What?” fitness DVD, specially priced at www.balldynamics.com. Buy one now!

FitBALL® Deluxe Board with Extra-Large Surface Brings Versatility to Balance Training!

Balance training is an important part of core strength, vital to how our bodies relate to the physical world. It also adds a level of difficulty to many forms of functional training. The new FitBALL® Deluxe Board has an extra-large surface—19.5” x 27”—ample room for full body training. The heavy-duty plastic construction is designed for high-use fitness and rehab facilities. With a fulcrum height of 5”, the multi-directional base offers balance challenges for both beginners and advanced users. The FitBALL Deluxe Board is part of the newly expanded line of FitBALL® brand professional-quality fitness and therapeutic products distributed by Ball Dynamics International.

Be sure to regularly visit our 'Closeouts and Specials' page to see the latest clearance and discontinued items at substantial savings. The inventory is limited and the prices are great so be sure to act fast to get in on the deals.