It's been a few years since the wave of "exercise balls as office chairs" hit the internet. We're looking to replace our current vintage chair as it isn't adjustable and can be a literal pain in the neck. Although higher priced super-customizable options are tempting, something simple like an inexpensive exercise ball has an equal appeal. But the real question is — is anyone still using them?
It appears from reading reviews online that most people who have tried out an inflatable exercise ball are quite passionate. In fact, they either truly love the "chair" and what it does for them, their posture and their overall health — or they hated it with the fire of 1,000 suns and it eventually popped.
Although we're not too concerned with popping (that is unless someone comes at you with scissors), we are curious if any of our Unplggd readers have given this method a road test and can speak to the longevity of the item? Gaiam makes a ball/chair combo that allows you to roll naturally to and from your desk without having to do a hop and waddle off the ball to go grab a bite to eat. We'd like to think this could be a good alternative to just a basic ball.
Have you tried them out at home? Known someone who has? We love it's flexibility in the home and the price tag doesn't hurt, but if you can't sit on it for more than an hour, then the games over. Sound off and share your thoughts below!
(Image: Gaiam)
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I'm sitting on one of those chairs right now!
I originally bought it for work, then it never left our home office. I finally got it to work today. I can sit on it for hours (I have some 10 hour days) and it is much better than my standard company issue cheap chair. There may be some great office chair out there, but not for this price! I love it.
Ooh, these look neat. I do this with my exercise ball quite often, so I'm definitely going to give this a try.
Also, I just got a great price on the Gaiam.com website! It's $20.00 off, and with the coupon code: AFDEALT5 you get another 20% off. $63.98 shipping :)
Davonia - Do you sit against the backrest that is supplied, or do you float away from it like the woman in the picture?
Thanks for the comment and the coupon code!
The purpose of sitting on an exercise ball is to help strengthen accessory muscles in the core. Using a stand or holder defeats this purpose. If you are more comfortable go with it!
Exercise balls as office chairs is a very bad idea. An exercise ball is a very good device for exercising, which you might do for an hour a day, but does not provide the postural support required to reduce the stresses sitting can cause over longer periods of time.
Anyone that sits on an exercise ball all day will eventually fatigue and hunch over into a very harmful posture. An ergonomic office chair must do two things - provide movement and variation of postures and provide the posture support required to reduce the stresses of the seated posture. An exercise ball does one of these things well but does not do the other well at all.
For some useful information on choosing the proper ergonomic office chair, check out http://www.ergocentric.com/pdfs/choosing_a_chair.pdf
I also have one of these chairs! I usually float away from the backrest, though I do slump sometimes. The concept is called "active sitting". You definitely use your muscles because it's a squashy, moving surface. It encourages constant fidgeting and readjustment.
You adjust the degree of inflation to get the height and softness you like.
I have two clawed cats who like to jump in my lap, and the chair has survived their tender ministrations. But worst case scenario- so the ball pops. Big deal- head online and replace it.
I often sit on my exercise ball to watch tv and enjoy it.
I also used the oh-so-hideous hag chair when I was in grad school. It was awesome for my posture. It is hiding in my closet right now. I still sit on it if I ever have to work at my desk for an extended period of time.
I have one of these, and I love mine! I also have a regular office chair. I don't use the ball chair exclusively because of what someone else mentioned, the eventual slouching into positions that aren't good for you. When I notice myself slouching, I switch to the regular office chair.
I work at a middle school in Colorado, and all of the lovely ladies working in the main office have these chairs. They sit in them for hours a day and they all swear by them. I am thinking about getting one for my home office as well.
i have the one from gaiam too. i like it a lot though i don't bother with the backrest thing. It always seems to fall out anyway and it doesn't add any additional support. i do like have the stand though, so that the ball is a bit higher to make working at my desk easier (home office) and also doesn't roll around when getting up/sitting down.
I'm all for sitting on exercise balls (lots of people here use them), but this gadget has always puzzled me.The purpose of sitting on an exercise ball is that it makes your core muscles work harder to balance and not roll. The chair base helps stabilize the ball and defeats that purpose. At the very least, it lessens that benefit.
We have a shared exercise ball in my office (I share with a couple of folks) - while we typically stay in chairs, if the work is getting to us, we'll switch to the chair. It's a good refocuser.
My husband and I have recently been researching the issue of desk chairs, and we considered the exercise ball. But there seems to be growing evidence that it may do more harm than good. Finally, we have decided to try the standing desk option, something we had been thinking about for some time anyway. This was the subject of a recent NYT article and debate:
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/is-all-that-sitting-really-killing-us/
Excuse me if I discount ergocentric's obviously bias opinion.
actually I had a coworker (a computer engineer...) whose doctor recommended that he try using a exercise ball because sitting at the desk 12 hours a day was not good for his body (what a surprise :P)
personally, I think the most effective part of the ball is that it actually induced the coworker to get up and move around more often because he couldn't curl up and slouch in a comfy office chair.
Ditto what ashasekh said. The NY Times article is worth a read. Sitting on an exercise ball is better for your muscles, and may relieve sciatic nerve pain, but it does nothing for your spine, because you still end up hunched over.
I considered this for a short while, but have decided to wait until I have saved up for a Salli: http://salli.com/
The newer models are adjustable according to hip size as well as height needs. At my desk, I both study and use the computer for which I need too different heights (lower chair for reading purposes, higher for computer work which needs the 90 degree angle at the elbow joint), so Salli is perfect for this. And by the end of the day it goes underneath the table.
This is no advertisement although I am Finnish myself.
oops *two* different heights...
Also, I forgot to say that my current desk is so high that the ball I have would require me to buy some elevating device such as box pillows on top of each other or something.
I usually sit up straight and don't use the back rest. When I find myself wanting to lean back, then I switch to a regular chair for a bit. It helps when I'm feeling tired, but I do notice that my lower back likes the ball chair better.
I replaced my $800 Humanscale Freedom chair with one of these shortly after Christmas when the back just broke and haven't looked back since.
No base, just a 75cm ball that I sit on for upwards of ten hours a day with no discomfort, fatigue or hunching.
I'm not saying Ergocentric is biased because he/she has a very obvious axe to grind but in my case there is absolutely no doubt that my posture and core musculature has improved. Maybe I'm a unique case or maybe the 6 months isn't enough time for the dreaded hunching effect to take place.
One thing I have noticed is that I am much more likely to get up and walk around every half hour or so and continuously make minor adjustments in position.
I purchased an inflatable ball to use as an office chair in 1983 and am still using it, having reinflated it twice in the intervening 28 years. Still as comfortable today as the day I first filled it up.
Though I much prefer working from atop my treadmill.
Joe Stirt aka bookofjoe
http://www.bookofjoe.com