Using exercise balls to stay on the path of physical fitness is starting to become less of a fashionable trend and more of a necessity. That’s because a lot of people are also starting to realize that using exercise balls can benefit them in more ways than one.

The History of Exercise Balls Exercise balls are also referred to using a number of names such as fitness balls, stability balls, Swiss balls and balance balls. Although they have only enjoyed fame in recent times, exercise balls were used as early as the 1960’s.

Exercise balls were the brainchild of an Italian toy maker named Aquilino Cosani; they were sold mainly in Europe and Cosani’s two companies ?Gymnastik and Gymnic ?continue to be the world’s major suppliers of exercise balls.

Benefits of Exercise Balls Primarily, exercise balls are great to use because they help improve back conditions and posture and increase flexibility and muscle strength. The use of exercise balls is also convenient because they’re light-weight, portable, relatively maintenance-free and not at all expensive to purchase.

Exercise Balls for Restorative Purposes It was Dr. Susan Klein-Vogelbach, a physical therapist based in Switzerland hence the term Swiss balls, who initiated use of exercise balls in the 1960’s as part of a clinical or therapeutic program for certain patients.

In the 1980’s, Paul Check became particularly famous as well for using exercise balls as a performance enhancement tool for professional athletes. The rest, as they say, was history and exercise balls soon found its way to thousands of gyms and countless households.

Take Your Seat on the Exercise Ball Believe it or not but in some parts of Europe, exercise balls are actually utilized in school as chairs. Apparently, school administrators have found out that use of exercise balls improved many aspects of a student’s education. Some examples of such benefits are improvement of focus, handwriting skills, understanding powers and organizational talents.

Sizes and Height Before purchasing an exercise ball, you should know that your height ought to be the basis of your purchase or more specifically, the size of the exercise ball you’re about to buy.

People of petite height or those under five foot three (5?) should purchase balls sized at 53b centimeters. Individuals on the other hand who have average height ?ranging from 5? to 5?0 ?must make use of 65 cm exercise balls. Tall users ?those who stand 5?1 to 6? ?are advised to buy 75 cm exercise balls while people of above average height ?6? and over ?are best suited to use 85 cm exercise balls.

Types of Exercise Balls

Certain exercise balls are particularly designed for easy use for beginners; these balls are known as gym balls, flexibility balls, stretch balls, yoga balls, workout balls or fitness balls. Above all things, exercise balls of this type help you with balance training. It’s especially good to use when engaged with core stability exercises and if you wish to focus more on shaping your buttock, thigh, lower back and abs.

Weighted medicine balls are used mainly to increase arm strength and endurance. Rather than lifting dumbbells or barbells up and down, women can have more fun with tossing, catching and playing with weighted medicine balls.

Workout exercise balls are the most affordable type of exercise balls and they’re unbelievably great to use for almost any kind of workout.

That’s it for now. Have fun exercising and remember to stay on the ball!

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