Dear Sarah,

When I'm in the stretching room at my gym I see so many people doing all kinds of things with exercise balls. Frankly, it looks complicated, but should I try it? What are the benefits of using an exercise ball?

Thanks,
Marcy

Dear Marcy,

Using an exercise ball has many wonderful benefits. The body responds to the inherent instability of the ball to remain balanced which activates several muscle groups.

Using the ball can improve functional strength, balance and flexibility of the body. What makes this piece of fitness equipment so effective is that it works multiple muscles at one time while forcing the body to balance itself, thus creating a very effective and challenging workout.

For example, if you use the ball under your feet to perform push-ups, you are not only working your shoulder, back, and chest, you're also getting a fantastic workout through the core (abs) as you try to balance on the ball. You're using more muscles, which means you're burning more calories without increasing your workout time.

There are literally hundreds of different exercises that can be used with the ball. But first it's important to choose the ball that's right for you. Similar to a bike, matching the ball size to your body size is vital. Balls typically come in three sizes. Try using the following guide to determine your ball size: if your height is 4'11" - 5'3" your ball should be 55 cm; 5'4" - 5'10", 65 cm; and if you're over 5'11" you'll need a 75 cm ball.

Certainly, the ball should be of high-quality as well. Given that balls seem to be available everywhere these days (I saw one at the grocery store recently), it's recommended you do your research. A good ball will be labelled 'anti-burst' or 'burst resistant'; this has to do with the quality of the plastic. One of the best brands available in Canada is made by Valeo.

Here are four moves to get you started:

Basic Crunch:
• Begin lying across the ball on your back with your feet on the floor
• Place your hands behind your ears
• Slowly raise your shoulder blades off the ball using your abdominals
• Return to start position and repeat

Oblique Twist:
• Begin lying across the ball on your back with your feet on the floor
• Place your hands behind your ears
• Slowly raise your shoulder blades off the ball using your abdominals and rotate your right shoulder towards your left hip
• Return to starting position, and repeat on the left side

Chest Fly:
• Begin lying across the ball with your head and shoulders supported on the ball
• Place your legs bent with heals about two feet from ball
• Extend arms overhead with palms facing away from you
• Slowly separate your arms in a circular motion and bend your elbows slightly as you lower your arms down and rotate your palms to face each other
• Return to start position and repeat.

Squat Against Wall:
• Lean your back against a ball that is placed against a wall and stand with your feet hip-width apart and about a foot away from the wall
• Keep your back in a straight position
• Bend your knees and let the ball roll up your back until your knees bend to about a 90 degree angle
• Return to start position and repeat

I hope you enjoy having a ball in your home. It can be used not only for exercise, but for enjoyment as well. Personally, I enjoy just sitting on my ball instead of a desk chair. It helps me sit up straight and use my core muscles while I work. And when things get frustrating, I can easily add a little bounce as a wonderful stress relief.

Sarah Brown is a very healthy woman. She is not only a fitness instructor at Goodlife where she teaches Body Pump, Body Flow and yoga but she is also a registered holistic nutritionist. If you have a question for Sarah, leave a comment below and she will try and help, but note that not all questions will be answered.