Many people underestimate the fitness exercise ball.
They consider it more of a fun toy than a serious fitness tool.
You can forgive people for this perception as it just looks like a big bouncy ball that belongs in the swimming pool.
However, the exercise ball when, used correctly can provide you with many physical health benefits such as toning your body, developing your inner core strength, improving your balance and strengthening your back muscles.
The ball can also be used as part of a stretching routine before and after a workout and it can also help to keep your back and limbs flexible.
To give you an idea of how you can benefit from using a fitness exercise ball I have to explain one or two ways that it can help your body and contribute to improving your flexibility and overall health.
Improving The Health of Your Back Originally the fitness ball was developed by physical therapists to help patients recover and recuperate from physical damage to their bodies.
Therefore, if you suffer from back problems such as lower back pain then and exercise ball may help you to alleviate the pain you are experiencing.
Many people whose work involves sitting at a desk all day commonly suffer from lower back pain because they have a poor posture.
With an exercise ball you can help to stretch your spine by lying back over the curvature of the ball.
By using your feet and legs to balance you can move forward and back to give those back muscles a massage and stretch.
Doing this everyday will help to relieve your back pain.
Strengthening Your Core Muscles and Posture Many health and fitness experts agree that a strong mid section is key to a healthy body and plays a key role in how effectively you move.
In Eastern philosophy particularly in the martial arts the power exerted through a punch from the arm or a kick from the leg originates from the core muscles contained within your mid section.
Your mid-section which is your stomach area contains your abdominal and back muscles and it is these muscles that control your body's movement.
Therefore, it is important to strengthen and maintain your core muscles.
With the exercise ball you can target these core muscle groups with a number of different exercises that target this specific muscle group.
For example, the best way to start is to sit on the ball and try and remain upright.
This is easier said than done because, when sitting down on your seat it usually has a back support for your spine however, with the exercise ball you have no back support.
This means in order to stay upright you have to use your lower back and thigh muscles to remain steady and upright.
As these muscles are not used very often many can find it quite a challenge to remain sitting upright for even a short period.
However, if you keep at it every day you will gradually get better at controlling your movements and this will strengthen your back and core muscles and improve your overall posture.
It is always advisable to check with your doctor or back specialist for advise before beginning any new form of exercise especially, if you have any health conditions or complications.