5 Reasons You Should Use a Yoga Ball Chair at Work
First of all, what the heck is a yoga ball chair? It’s simply a yoga or exercise ball that fits into a chair frame. Some allow you to adjust the height, some have casters, and others have backrests for the upper back. They don’t look comfortable, but they are. What’s more, they can help with the aches and pains of sitting in an office chair all day, every day.
As the ball is the seat, you need to make slight adjustments to keep yourself balanced. While you may not even realize you are doing this, you will notice as you use it more because these stabilizing adjustments give your core and thigh muscles a passive workout. These are just a couple of the benefits of using a yoga ball chair as your desk chair. Below we’ll outline even more reasons why you should use one of these at your desk.
Aligns the spine
As you need to stay balanced on the ball of the chair, you naturally sit up straight rather than slouching, which is typical in a regular office chair. Our brain recognizes that we are somewhat “unstable” and so keeps our spines in proper alignment in case we need to suddenly adjust our position. This alone eases back pain.
Enforces movement
One reason for stiff, sore muscles after sitting all day is because we hold the same position for hours at a time. But when sitting on a ball, we are forced to make micro-movements to stay balanced and stable. These small movements are just enough to keep our blood from pooling in certain areas of the body which keeps it from circulating, causing pain
Boosts Energy
Ever feel sluggish and lethargic after a day at the office? This is not only caused by consistent mental stress, but also from staying in one seated position for extended periods of time. Using a yoga ball chair increases
your movement naturally, as mentioned earlier, which keeps your energy higher throughout the day.
Burns calories
It turns out, those micro-movements end up burning around 350 more calories every 8 hours than would occur when sitting in a normal chair. This strengthens your core and burns calories. What else could you ask for in a chair?
Improves circulation
When we sit in a chair for 8 hours each day, our circulation is in effect cut off, causing our legs or feet to go numb or feel heavy once we get up to move. When using a yoga ball chair, you have the micro-movements working for you, but you are also in better alignment, so your blood can flow more freely rather than pooling in your lower extremities.
