Sitting on a Gym Ball VS Chair at Work

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by inthespirit, Mar 17, 2014.

  1. inthespirit

    inthespirit ignant

    Hey Folks,

    I sit on my rump about 8-9 hours per day 5 times a week with only a few brakes here and there.

    I always find that this sitting tends to deform my posture at the end of the day and requires some amount of exercise with good attention to posture and biomechanics to resolve. However, the next day, unless I blag my way out of it :) this cycle repeats itself.

    Now, I’m sure if I could dedicate a significant amount of my brain power to focusing solely on my posture while sitting at my desk I could surely prevent any negative effects of such mundane activity. Unfortunately, as my brain is mostly involved in doing work and dealing with various degrees of idiocy, consequently I can’t muster enough awareness to watch my posture to the level that I would like for these 8-9 hours a day .

    So am thinking of switching (at least part time) my work chair to a gym ball (or whatever they are called). I had a look online and there seems to be conflicting advice on the benefit of doing this. The main arguments for is that it actively promotes balance and keeps the core and legs active and working. The main argument against is that 8-9 hours of the former will result in too much strain on the spinal column, core muscles and the shoulder/arm complex as the ball offers no back or arm rest/support.

    Any one tried doing this? How did you find it? Yay or Nay?

    Any expert opinion, (Late for Dinner, am thinking of you :) ) much appreciated.

    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. Giovanni

    Giovanni Well-Known Member Supporter

    i also have a very sedentery day at work, i'm in a chair in front of a computer all day. a lot of guys at my job work standing up, instead of a ball. i can't seem to get the standing setup right yet, but the guys that do it here swear by it.

    one thing i do try to do is to sit on the edge of my chair. this seems to help with the posture bit. i also tend to slouch.
     
  3. inthespirit

    inthespirit ignant

    Thanks Giovanni. I tried the edge of the chair thing before, but I find it makes me pull my shoulders back / stick my chest out for balance, it's Ok I guess, but I tend to get locked in this position until I realise it and i find its got its own problems.

    I'd happily give the standing a go, but I doubt my Co will shell out for a standing desk for me, plus it will look out of place and they seem big on office aesthetics. So for now looking at the ball as an alternative, or winning the lottery and resigning :D
     
  4. seiken steve

    seiken steve golden member

    It makes sense in theory, however most people I see attempt this end up hyperextended and in just as much trouble. If you are going for it, keep that ribcage depressed.

    Can you set an alarm for every 15 mins and check your position and posture, that plus this * has helped a lot of people.

    *before the posture check squeeze your shoulder blades together as hard as you can for 10 seconds.
     
  5. inthespirit

    inthespirit ignant

    Thanks Steve, good advice!

    I'm probably gonna pick one up next week and just play around with and see how I react. I'll update my progress on here.
     
  6. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    I'm interested in this...I've got an expensive desk chair but have still decked it out with more lumbar support and a cocyx releiving cushion.
    I have an alarm on my work PC that I set for every 45 minutes.
    So every 45 minutes I at least either go for a little wander, get some water or coffee, go and foam roll my back or do a quick Yoga routine.
    So even if in between my posture suffers a bit I at least get some relief.
    I find driving to be the worst thing for posture and back pain.
     
  7. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    My physio had one at his desk, but then didn't spend 8 hours a day on it I guess.
    You could always alternate a bit, that would be better than not having it at all.
    As I think it would be good just to change your posture/ the way you sit, even if it's just 1 hour out of 3 or whatever you find helps.
    I wouldn't mind having a go, so let us know if it helps. We got these foot rests at work which are supposed to help... But I haven't found them all that useful at all.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2014
  8. seiken steve

    seiken steve golden member

    Ditto, especially other peoples cars.
     
  9. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    The problem I have with driving is that I can't shift around to relieve pressure because my feet have to be in a certain place.
     
  10. inthespirit

    inthespirit ignant

    Yeah, that’s pretty much what I was thinking. I feel like I need a more active relationship with my balance/muscles while I'm sitting at work, if even for a few hours a day. Let’s see how it goes. Will post something up once I get around to it.
     
  11. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    The biggest hurdle for me is that I don't want to look like a tit at work. :)
     
  12. inthespirit

    inthespirit ignant

    LOL... I hear you there man! Luckily I sit in the corner of an open plan office so the only person who can directly see what I'm sitting on is the one guy to my right and he's used to my weirdness. :)
     
  13. Instructor_Jon

    Instructor_Jon Effectiveness First

    inthespirit... Thank You for this!!!! I found myself looking at my desk and thinking that I totally need to change things around so that I stand mostly. Great topic!
     
  14. inthespirit

    inthespirit ignant

    No worries Instructor Jon! Let’s see how it goes. Would be interested to hear any progress you have with this endeavour too.
     
  15. Instructor_Jon

    Instructor_Jon Effectiveness First

    I sit in a modular cube most of the day tapping away at the keyboard. The good news is, it's modular so raising the desk heighth is doable it's just going to take a heck of a lot of work! Checked with management already and they said go for it!
     
  16. inthespirit

    inthespirit ignant

    Sounds promising! :)
     
  17. seiken steve

    seiken steve golden member

    despite what many would have you think standing for 8 hours can be just as harmful as sitting...
     
  18. Instructor_Jon

    Instructor_Jon Effectiveness First

    I had considered that Steve which is why I'll probably incorporate a bar stool size office chair. Of course then the temptation is to sit in the darn thing!
     
  19. inthespirit

    inthespirit ignant

    Hey folks,

    I got my ball today, been sitting on it for about a few hours now.

    First impressions are quite good. It kind of feels like I’m squatting which makes my legs, hip flexors and calfs in particular, feel a lot more relaxed and my hip joints much more open. My spine seems much more relaxed as well, which I find odd as I was expecting the opposite, perhaps it’s something to do with better lower body support in this position.

    I’m not sure if I got the largest ball I could, but this one leaves me about 50 cm off the floor which is ok as it puts my desk at about armpit level so I can rest my arms on my desk when typing etc. I’ve adjusted my monitor to its lowest level which leaves my line of sight slightly below the centre of my monitor.

    Only problem so far is that it’s got that damn new plastic smell which I despise, should wear off soon though.

    Will report back after a few more days once I get used to it a bit more and have more observations.
     
  20. inthespirit

    inthespirit ignant

    Hey Folks,

    Just to update. I have now picked up another larger gym ball (80 cm) the previous one was (65 cm).

    The new ball's size allows me to sit on a similar level to my desk chair, which is aesthetically better than the smaller ball in that I don't look like I'm sitting on some sort of infant sized stool :)

    However, I think I prefer the smaller ball, main reason is that it provides a more planted position, which in essence is a supported deep horse stance without the stress as most of the weight is supported by the ball. I really like the way it makes my legs/hips feel, basically really balanced and active. I still get the above effect to a lesser extent from the bigger ball, but nothing like from the smaller ball.

    With the larger ball, there are some other interesting effects which I guess arise because you are not as stable as you are with the smaller ball. The main thing I notice so far is that it is very noticeable when you are off-balance. So you mostly end up centrally aligned in your structure and on the ball, in basically makes it easy to find a well aligned position.

    I'm thinking of trying out a medium sized ball, there is a 70 - 75 cm one available, though I may hold off on this for a bit as my part of the office is starting to look like a circus tent of sorts. At the moment, I think the ideal setup would be to have the 65 cm ball and a lowered desk, unfortunately I cant lower my desk any more unless I physically cut it down to size which is not really an option :)
     

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