Reason Number Two - Your body will be able to twist and bend and stretch on an exercise ball unlike using a chair where you are forced to stay in the same position all day. Turning to answer the phone will give your back a nice 45 degree stretch that you may not get from a chair.

Helpful Resources: How to Choose And Use an Exercise Ball This is a great article about how to choose and use an exercise ball. It discusses great information about the different sizes of exercise balls and how they can help strengthen your health. Replacing a Desk Chair With an Exercise Ball This web site talks about why you should replace your desk chair with an exercise ball. It gives you 10 good reasons about why an exercise ball will improve your posture and circulation. Several Exercise Ball Workouts This web site provides you with several exercise ball workouts you can do. You can also watch several videos of different exercise routines you can perform on the exercise ball. Tip on Using an Exercise Ball If you are looking for tips on how to use an exercise ball, this is a great web site. This site provides 10 tips on how to perform exercise routines on the exercise ball. You can also link to other articles about exercise balls. Performing Exercises on An Exercise Ball This web site provides great visual images of how to perform certain exercises on an exercise ball. They provide you with a great description of each exercise and how many reps to do with each exercise. Wikipedia: Exercise Ball Wikipedia provides a great definition of an exercise ball. It discusses what an exercise ball is made out of and why they are becoming so popular. They also provide visual images of exercise balls. Workouts for An Exercise Ball If you want to know how an exercise ball builds the muscles in your body, this is a great web site for you. It discusses how exercise balls work, what workouts to perform on them and how to purchase one. Exercise Ball Workouts Mayoclinic.com is known for providing great information about health related topics. This particular web pages provides you with a slide show of different exercise ball workouts and how to choose an exercise ball. How to Choose an Exercise Ball This is a great web site for anyone who is looking for information on how to choose and use an exercise ball. It discusses detailed information on how to select an exercise ball and exercises to do on it. Pilates on an Exercise Ball This web site provides you with several tips on how to perform Pilates on an exercise ball. You can purchase an exercise ball directly through their web site and you can view several positions for exercising.

Reason Number Three - Using an exercise ball will improve your balance. Your muscles will be forced to react to sitting on an unstable surface and over time they will improve your overall sense of balance.

Reason Number Four - This is probably the best reason, strengthen your abdominals. Everyone wants a nice, toned midsection. An exercise ball forces your body to use your core muscles to help control your balance. While you may not have rock hard abs in 6 months, over time you will start to notice a toned midsection.

Reason Number Five - Exercise balls have been proven to improve your blood circulation. Because you are able to move up and down, your body maintains proper circulation all day versus sitting in a chair that reduces blood circulation.

Reason Number Six - Using an exercise ball will improve your overall energy. With an exercise ball you can move around instead of just sitting in the same position all day, this will help you gain more energy because all of your muscles will be active instead of stationary.

Reason Number Seven - You can burn up to 350 calories per day by moving on an exercise ball. This will calculate to be about one pound of fat every 10 days!

Reason Number Eight - It is the cheapest way to get an exercise at the office! For a small investment of about $15 on up, you can sit at your desk and bounce around all day!

Now that you have some reasons why you should replace your work chair with an exercise ball, you need to figure out what size of exercise ball to get. There are several sizes available; here is a buyer's guide to finding the right exercise ball:

First you need to start with your height. What you need to do is sit on the ball and make sure your hips are level or just slightly higher than your knees. For a person who is between 4'11 to 5'4'' you need a 55cm ball, for a person who is 5'5'' to 5'11'' you need a 65cm ball, and if you are 6'0'' to 6'7'' you need a 75cm ball. If you are obese you will want to purchase a burst resistant ball. These can typically hold up to 600 pounds.

You can use an exercise ball in several different ways. Many people tend to sit on them and bounce up and down. Other people prefer to use them as they do crunches or weight training. Try lying on the ball and allow your legs and abs to contract to keep you from falling off. Once you are in this position and your legs and abs are working to keep your body stable, add an extra exercise to that such as a crunch or a chest press. This will increase the intensity of the original pose.

Exercise ball workout ideas:
Abdominal training - Who doesn't want a nice, toned midsection? You can do a variety of crunches, twists and other exercises on the ball that will help to tone your abdominal muscles.

Weight training - Your legs, buttocks, and abdominal muscles will obtain a great workout as you use your new exercise ball as a weight bench. The ball will add difficulty to the movements you are performing and strengthen all the muscles in your legs, not just one or two.

Bouncing - If you are not big on fitness, just sitting on an exercise ball will improve your health. Your muscles will be forced to stabilize your posture and balance. This obviously will lead to stronger muscles in your back. Instead of just sitting on a chair or on the couch when you are watching television, try sitting on the exercise ball for at least 30 minutes. Try raising one off the ground when you are sitting on the ball to help your body improve its balance.

Yoga and Pilates - As you may be aware Pilates is one of the fastest growing exercise programs in our society. The exercise ball is wonderful for relaxing and stretching your muscles. Try using the ball when you are performing yoga and Pilates poses to add an increased level of intensity to your workout.

Here are some great strength training exercises to perform:

One-legged dead lift - you should do 2-3 sets of about 12-16 repetitions with 30 seconds of rest in between each set. Stand with one foot on the exercise ball, with your standing leg slightly bent. Now grab a set of dumbbells and keep them close to your thighs. Keep your back straight, shoulders back and your abs in and begin bending from the hip and bring the weights down to your knees. This will contract your glutes and hamstrings as they pull your torso back up. Be sure to perform this exercise on both legs.

Chest fly - Everyone wants a nice firm chest, lie on the exercise ball and hold dumbbells straight up with your palms facing in. Extend one leg and keep it extended as you lower your arms down to your chest and back up. Be sure to contract your chest when you are pulling your arms back up to their starting position. Keep your leg extended during the entire set and then switch legs when you begin the second set.

Hamstring rolls - The hamstring is one of the hardest muscles to exercise, yet it is one of the most important muscles in our body for maintaining posture, balance, and our overall walking ability. Lie on the floor and place your heels on the ball. Now squeeze your buttocks and lift your hips until your body is in a straight line. You will press your heels into the ball and roll it towards you; this will contract your hamstring muscles. This workout not only strengthens your hamstrings, but it strengthens your buttocks, back, and abdominal muscles.

Oblique lifts - Most everyone wants to have a nice, toned waist. By using the exercise ball in a side position, you can tone those love handles! Start by bending your knee and tighten your oblique muscles. Now, lean against the exercise ball and then lift your torso off the ball using only your oblique muscles to do so. You will be pulling your ribcage towards your hips.

Pushups - Perhaps one of the easiest exercises to perform is the pushup. Place your feet on the exercise ball and keep your hands on the floor, a little wider than your shoulders. Be sure to keep your back and abs contracted and in a straight position and begin bending your elbows toward the floor. The best pushups are those that are done slowly, contract your muscles down in a 3-5 second count and back up in a 3-5 second count. Be sure to breathe out when you are going down and breathe in when you are going out. This will help to calm your nervous system as your muscles are getting a great workout.

Lunges - Again, toning up your legs is one of the best things you can do for your body. As we age, our leg muscles tend to loose their shape quickly due to inactivity. By doing daily lunges, we can keep our legs strong and healthy. Not only do lunges strengthen the legs, but they help to reduce added pressure on our joints. Begin doing lunges by standing a few feet away from the exercise ball, place one foot on the ball in a split stance. Slowly bend your knee and lower your hips toward the ground. It is important to keep your knee behind the toes and to keep your back straight. Once you have come down to where your knee is bent, squeeze your glutes and hamstrings and push back up. Repeat this process on both times for 2-3 reps. It may help to have the exercise ball propped against a wall for added stability.

No matter what type of exercise routine you start doing with an exercise ball, be sure you start out slow. Exercise balls are there to train your body how to gain control and balance. In the beginning, you will probably feel a little wobbly, this is normal. It takes time to build your muscles to the point where they can perform exercises without falling over at least once! As with any new workout routine, be sure to consult your doctor before beginning to make sure you don't damage your health condition.