Ball Game

Ball Game

Fitness can be a whole new ball game with a big, inflated, rubber orb called a fit ball or Swiss ball. Developed by Swiss physical therapists to help patients regain strength,balance, and flexibility, the fit ball makes a workout both productive and fun. Several dozen exercises have been developed to take advantage of this workout tool that looks like a great big toy. Here are several:
? Abdominal strengthener. Sit squarely on the ball. Slowly walk your feet out and simultaneously roll down onto your spine until your torso is parallel to the floor.Slowly roll back up, contracting your abdominal muscles to help regain the sitting position.
? Back strengthener. Kneel behind the ball and drape your body forward over it with your hands flat on the floor in front of the ball. Slowly walk your hands forward so that the ball rolls down the length of your body past your hips. If you can, keep moving until your thighs are resting on the ball, maintaining a straight line from your head to your knees. Walk your hands back to return to the starting position. (Eventually, you might be strong enough to walk your hands so far forward and in such refined control that only the front of your ankles and tops of your feet are resting on the ball.) This exercise is sometimes called the “plank,” and in addition to toning your back, it helps refine your balance and body alignment.
? Push-ups. Kneel behind the ball and drape your body forward over it with your hands flat on the floor in front of the ball. Move forward on the ball in the plank position as in the preceding exercise. When you are comfortably balanced, bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor. Straighten them to come up again. This push-up is easiest when the ball is under your hips, it is harder when the ball is under your thighs, and it is more challenging still when the ball is under your lower leg. These push-ups tone the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. They also work your obliques and abdominals more effectively than conventional push-ups because you have to use these muscles to stabilize yourself from rolling off the ball.
? Quadriceps strengthener. Stand with the ball between your lower back and the wall. Squat down until your legs are at a 90-degree angle, keeping the ball against the wall. The ball will roll upward to about shoulder-blade level. Straighten your legs, and the ball will roll down.When you first use a fit ball, you might feel wobbly and out of control, and you might even end up on the floor. The small, quick-reflex adjustments you make to stay on the ball will help your balance and tone the muscles of your torso.