Swapping your office chair for a fitness ball forces your core muscles to engage through every minute of the workday, training your body to support itself in good posture. Sitting on a fitness ball also makes it easy to follow the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety’s advice of shifting your body position frequently. Your body will naturally reposition itself on the ball every time you shift your focus to a new piece of equipment.
The fitness ball as chair is not without its detractors. Common criticisms include the risk of falling off the chair and lack of back support for fatigued muscles.
Step 1
Sit down on the ball and check your positioning against the workstation. Adjust the keyboard and workstation height, or purchase a larger or smaller ball, so that when you type, your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle, forearms horizontal.
Step 2
Place a small block underneath your feet, if necessary, so that your thighs are parallel to the floor when you sit, relaxed, on the ball.
Step 3
Write a sticky note and place it prominently within sight, or simply remind yourself every few minutes to sit up straight on the ball as you work. Continue to focus on sitting upright, allowing your musculature to support your body since there’s no chair back to do so, until sitting up straight becomes second nature.
Tips and Warnings
- A properly inflated fitness ball should compress about 6 inches beneath your body weight. Measure the seat height on your favorite office chair, then shop for a fitness ball with a maximum diameter that’s approximately 6 inches taller than the seat height. Select a burst-proof ball. It should be clearly marked as such on both the packaging and the ball itself. Burst-proof balls will deflate if punctured by an errant thumbtack instead of bursting suddenly, giving you a chance to get off the ball instead of falling straight to the floor.
Things You'll Need
- Small block (optional)
- Sticky pad (optional)
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