I thought the general recommendation is to use such "exercise chairs" only for short periods of time, not all the time. I also used to have one and gave it up.
Replacing the Office Chair with an Exercise Ball
31–36 of 36 posts
Re: Replacing the Office Chair with an Exercise Ball
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
what makes a surface anti-fatigue?
http://housewares.about.com/od/kitchenwareaccessories/bb/ant...
Re: Replacing the Office Chair with an Exercise Ball
#33I have used an exercise ball instead of a chair for the past year or so and really like it. I tend to have a lot of nervous energy, and being able to bounce on the ball while still seated at my desk help a lot, without having to get up, walk around, and getting too distracted from what I am doing. A couple of caveats, though: 1) You really do look pretty silly, especially if you bounce 2) Some people develop lower ba…
And what is the correct size ball? I can only seem to find them going up to 75 cm in diameter in my local sports stores - is that sufficient?
Re: Replacing the Office Chair with an Exercise Ball
#34An academic at my university has a ball in his office he goes to sit on when he has something to think about. I think I'd prefer this to sitting on the ball at a computer - I just can't imagine taking myself seriously if I did that.
You're a human. Everything you do is idiosyncratic.
Re: Replacing the Office Chair with an Exercise Ball
#35An exercise ball is a good idea but I would not count on using one as a permanent replacement. My ideal situation would be an alternation between an office chair, like an aeron, and a stable, four-legged cushioned chair (the kind that is usually on the other side of the desk in an office).
At home, I switch between an office chair and a piano bench. You don't need a backless chair to sit upright and not slouch. However, an unstable surface (like a chair with rollers, or an exercise ball) can be distracting and requires more energy to maintain an upright posture.
So: a bench or a stable chair for posture, and an aeron or similar when your back gets tired. An exercise ball to mix it up would be cool too.
Re: Replacing the Office Chair with an Exercise Ball
#36Our office, too, went through the Ball phase a couple of years ago. 80% of the office had one. In the end though not a single person stuck with it and the office was ball-free in less than a year. Personally I found that I slouched MORE when using the ball because I could no longer lean back against a backrest. So when I got tired towards the end of the day I'd lean on the table instead. Result: Upper back pain. The…
Same experience here. I tried it out, the novelty wore off pretty quickly. I find I'm happier with a good chair (I like Haworth's Zody and the Steelcase Leap) and getting up periodically to stretch. Sitting still for a long period of time is going to be bad, regardless of what you sit on.