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Old September 29, 2003, 05:27 PM
Dien Rice
 
Posts: n/a
Default The problem with online business, is all that sitting can cause back strain! Is this the solution?

I sit in front of my computer an awful lot. I'm sure many here do the same!

And all that sitting not only doesn't help you get fit at all, but it can also be a strain on your back....

So, I thought, I'd look around for one of those ergonomic chairs. I was even thinking of getting one of those "kneel sit" chairs that are meant to be good for your back...

Then I saw a program on TV. A lady was talking about how good a Swiss ball (also known as an exercise ball) is for exercising with! I thought to myself - Self, you have to get one of those Swiss balls!

To cut to the chase, I ended up buying one at K-Mart. Somewhere along the line, I had read that Swiss balls can even make good ergonomic chairs!

Apparently, if you use the ball as a chair, you are constantly adjusting your muscles to keep balancing on the ball. This means you are working your leg, abdominal, and back muscles - even while you're just sitting there.

Unlike a normal chair, where you end up slouching after a short time, with the Swiss ball you're constantly "working out" - even though they are simple muscle micro-adjustments. Everything is sub-conscious - you're not even fully aware of it while you're sitting down.

However, when you stand up - then you feel the effect! I sat down on my Swiss ball for part of the day yesterday... When I stood up, it FELT like I just had a workout!

I'm going to try it more (I've only had my Swiss ball for just over a day now). It seems like a good idea - keep exercising while you work on your computer.

Also, Swiss balls are quite a lot cheaper than ergonomic chairs. You can afford to buy several of them if you wanted to.

Has anyone else tried this, or do you know of others who have tried this?

I'll keep at it, and report on the effect of using a Swiss ball as a chair after I've tried it a little while longer... :)

- Dien Rice


Here's an article, about sitting on a Swiss ball while working/studying...