Guest Author - Anne Asher

A physioball is a really fun device to sit on while working. It challenges you to stabilize your body posture in minute ways, because it is never quite still. If you want the ball to stop moving, your deep posture muscles must work to insure it.

Mini Work Breaks on the Physioball
You can also take frequent, automatic mini-breaks without ever leaving your desk. Just roll around little. A challenge you can give yourself is to use your pelvis to roll the ball forward slightly, then back again into a neutral posture. A neutral posture can be defined as sitting with your pelvis directly beneath you. That is, your pelvis is neither forward nor back of your upper body.

If you read my recent article about the Feldenkrais method, then you are ahead of the game when using your physioball to:

• Enhance your body awareness


• Keep your movements and strengthening challenges safe as you do them.

Center Yourself
The key is to never move so far away from center that you feel a strain. You must be alert to the feelings you experience when you use the ball to challenge your muscles. By working in an easy and posture efficient way, you will develop your body awareness while you develop your strength.

The Best Part
If you are a social creature, like so many of us are, perhaps the best part of using a physioball for seating is all the attention you receive for having it in your work environment. It certainly is a conversation stimulator!