Exercise balls, available in most sporting-goods stores and some department stores and supermarkets, are one of the most effective and inexpensive pieces of exercise equipment. With a good one, you can get a full-body workout anywhere you want. This makes exercise balls a good choice for frequent travelers as well as fitness enthusiasts who live in areas prone to weather extremes.
Core Stability
The muscles of your core region -- lower back, pelvis, hips and abdomen -- help protect your back from injury, keep you balanced, and play a key role in most sports activities, according to MayoClinic.com. Exercise balls are particularly good for building core stability. Mayo Clinic recommends exercises such as abdominal crunches, which you do sitting on the ball, and leg lifts, which you do by lying on your back, resting your legs on the ball and raising them toward the ceiling. When seated on the ball, make sure your knees are at a 90-degree angle and your feet are flat on the floor.
Upper Body
If you're willing to add dumbbells to your exercise equipment, you can use an exercise ball to strengthen your arms. "Fitness Magazine" recommends the overhead triceps press, which you do by lying with the exercise ball under your mid-back, holding your arms at a 90-degree angle with the dumbbells next to your ears, and lifting your hands toward the ceiling. Another good arm exercise is the kneeling curl, which you do by kneeling behind the ball, using it to support your weight, holding the dumbbells with your palms up and lifting the dumbbells toward your ears.
Lower Body
Use an exercise ball to build strength in your legs. "Fitness Magazine" recommends standing with the ball between you and a wall and doing squats, making sure your legs do not bend more than 90 degrees, allowing the ball to roll behind you. "Fitness Magazine" also recommends frog jumps. Start with your hands on either side of the ball, lift the ball toward the ceiling, and jump as high as you can.
Choosing
If you don't yet own an exercise ball, get one that fits your body; ill-fitting exercise equipment sets you up for soreness or injuries. If you are 5 feet 9 inches tall or shorter, use a 55-cm ball. If you are 5 feet 10 inches or taller, use a 65-cm ball, according to Douglas Brooks, an exercise physiologist based in Mammoth Lakes, California.
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