
Replacing the Office Chair with an Exercise Ball - nreece
http://baron.vc/replacing-the-office-chair-with-an-exercise-ball/
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whye
I have used an exercise ball instead of a chair for the past year or so and
really like it. I tend to have a lot of nervous energy, and being able to
bounce on the ball while still seated at my desk help a lot, without having to
get up, walk around, and getting too distracted from what I am doing. A couple
of caveats, though: 1) You really do look pretty silly, especially if you
bounce 2) Some people develop lower back problems when using a ball for long
periods; be careful! 3) Office mates always seem to like stealing it and
kicking it down the hallway (which is actually a lot of fun, but also
annoying) and 3) If you had beans for dinner, beware, the ball tends to
amplify sounds from down there :)

~~~
rosser
I've also used exercise balls for a couple years now -- at home, and at the
former office. You'll find that your core muscles (abdominal, in particular)
tone up significantly, with almost no apparent effort. The inherent
instability of sitting on what's essentially a balloon benefits more than just
your posture. All those small adjustments you unconsciously make to maintain
balance work muscles that you don't often get to work otherwise, and with a
wider range of motion than pretty much all the traditional exercises that
target those muscles offer, too. It's some of the best "passive exercise"
available.

As for the concerns about being made fun of or judged or whatever, mentioned
several places in this discussion, someone's judging you says more about them
than it does you.

And, yes, they do tend to have a resonant effect on certain reverberative
sounds...

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joezydeco
Jim: "And how much is that?" Dwight: "It's only 25 bucks" Jim: "ooookay."

[http://www.tbs.com/video/index/#/all-video/shows/the-
office/...](http://www.tbs.com/video/index/#/all-video/shows/the-
office/158347)

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ax0n
I was at a startup from Jan-July '06 and we had several kicking around. I
switched to the ball there at the startup and learned to love it. Shortly
after, I replaced my home computer chair with a ball as well.

Like anything, they can be misused, and it's a matter of personal preference.
I also have a laptop that doesn't fit very well on my computer desk, so when
I'm on it, I'm usually lounging in a recliner or on the sofa at home.

The thing I love most about the ball is that I can get up, roll it back a bit,
sit back down on it, then do a full-body arched-back stretch, then roll back
up onto the ball, scoot it up to the desk, and keep working. I find myself
doing that at least once an hour, and it always brings a boost. At my office
(no balls allowed... heh) I end up having to run up and down a flight of
stairs or do something else to get that boost. It takes a lot less time with
an exercise ball, and I can keep focused.

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drinian
I can highly recommend a standing-desk arrangement, at least when compared to
a _very_ cheap office chair.

You need two things to keep with it for more than a few days: a good anti-
fatigue surface to stand on, and a taller-than-average chair so that you can
alternate sitting and standing.

~~~
japherwocky
what makes a surface anti-fatigue?

~~~
drinian
[http://housewares.about.com/od/kitchenwareaccessories/bb/ant...](http://housewares.about.com/od/kitchenwareaccessories/bb/antifatiguemats.htm)

~~~
amohr
[http://www.amazon.com/Big-Time-Toys-
Llc-10300-B/dp/B00007BKU...](http://www.amazon.com/Big-Time-Toys-
Llc-10300-B/dp/B00007BKUN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-
games&qid=1257158246&sr=1-1)

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nutmeg
I've found that the biggest problem with using an exercise ball is that
everyone asks you why you are sitting on an exercise ball. That and it is fun
to kick.

~~~
jpcx01
Yes, it's just not worth it to be of "those" people. Whatever benefits it
gets, its just hard to take someone seriously when their sitting on a giant
inflatable fucking ball.

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ckjohnston
i had an attny buddy that wanted to use an exercise ball instead of an office
chair. ultimately he got made fun of by so many people that he ended up not
doing it. i can see startup people using it, but very few will do so in a more
professional office setting.

however, i do like the idea of alternative desk arrangements though. i've seen
several people with a desk that can be lifted up so that you can stand and
work when you want. then there's the treadmill desks which are pretty cool.

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wallflower
An exercise ball is tough because it demands dynamic balance. You really work
out your abs. You can't slouch because you'll fall off. I tried it for a
couple months and gave it up. If you are seriously considering using an
exercise ball, get a puncture-resistant one from a company like Fitter First
(that guarantees against explosive decompression).

~~~
mechanical_fish
_guarantees against explosive decompression_

I will forever associate exercise-ball chairs with the hilarious moment when,
in the middle of one of Leo Laporte's podcasts, there was this BANG sound off-
mic and he went off the air for a few seconds. Then we heard his voice, a bit
distant, as he explained that he was picking himself up off the floor because
his chair had just exploded.

Of course, if you land wrong after such an incident it won't be quite so
funny.

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Goladus
An exercise ball is a good idea but I would not count on using one as a
permanent replacement. My ideal situation would be an alternation between an
office chair, like an aeron, and a stable, four-legged cushioned chair (the
kind that is usually on the other side of the desk in an office).

At home, I switch between an office chair and a piano bench. You don't need a
backless chair to sit upright and not slouch. However, an unstable surface
(like a chair with rollers, or an exercise ball) can be distracting and
requires more energy to maintain an upright posture.

So: a bench or a stable chair for posture, and an aeron or similar when your
back gets tired. An exercise ball to mix it up would be cool too.

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d64
I tried sitting on a ball at home some time ago, but after a couple of hours
on it, my back is on fire. It did not go away after about a week of trying, so
I gave up.

~~~
intchanter
This concern and the one about developing back problems are both great reasons
to ease into using an exercise/yoga/stability ball as your primary chair. When
people ask me about it, I recommend they start out with 20-30 minutes and
slowly work their way up from there.

It's also important to get a ball of the right size (they typically are
available in 10cm increments, with 55-75cm being the more common sizes). Look
for charts online for sizing info, and then make sure it is inflated enough
that when you're sitting on it the angle of your knees is 90 degrees.

While this change has helped my posture, increased my core strength and more,
I think my next change is going to be for a treadmill desk so that I can
increase the number of calories I burn throughout the day.

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Tichy
I thought the general recommendation is to use such "exercise chairs" only for
short periods of time, not all the time. I also used to have one and gave it
up.

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santry
I tried a ball but found the lack of air circulation made the backs of my legs
sweat uncomfortably. Went back to my Steeelcase Leap. It's not mesh like the
Aeron, but the cushion was a lot better than sitting directly on rubber all
day.

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jbellis
I'd like to know the ages of the people commenting that they loved / hated it.

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imack
I'm 27 and used one at home for a long time. I really loved it and the only
reason I stopped was that I got a hole in it. In general, it's not as
comfortable as an Aeron, but it has a pretty high comfort to cost ratio.

That being said, since it was at home I was never on it as long as I would
have been at work.

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jlees
An academic at my university has a ball in his office he goes to sit on when
he has something to think about. I think I'd prefer this to sitting on the
ball at a computer - I just can't imagine taking myself seriously if I did
that.

~~~
zackattack
You're a _human_. Everything you do is idiosyncratic.

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Devilboy
Our office, too, went through the Ball phase a couple of years ago. 80% of the
office had one. In the end though not a single person stuck with it and the
office was ball-free in less than a year.

Personally I found that I slouched MORE when using the ball because I could no
longer lean back against a backrest. So when I got tired towards the end of
the day I'd lean on the table instead. Result: Upper back pain. The other
thing that annoyed me was being unable to shift my legs around at all - they
BOTH have to be flat on the floor in front of you. No crossing one leg or
changing the angle of you knee joints or anything like that.

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flatline
I tried this at home and had similar results. For the first week I thought,
"hey, this is great!" Then one day I was particularly tired and could barely
stay on the thing. My upper back actually started spasming from the strain. I
kept the ball but don't use it as a chair any more, though it's still fun to
roll around on sometimes.

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njn
It's all about programming in bed, while lying down.

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quizbiz
I have never been able to achieve this. Where do you place your laptop? It's
most comfortable for me when my laptop is on my stomach and my back is propped
up but even then my neck is strained. How have you been able to make this
position work?

~~~
lupin_sansei
You can make laptop stands for the bed like this from wood
<http://bedzine.com/blog/bed-furniture/laptop-stand-for-bed/> buy them online
[http://www.badbacks.com.au/shop/product/1897/223/laptop-
laid...](http://www.badbacks.com.au/shop/product/1897/223/laptop-
laidback-v3-lightweight-portable-laptop-table) , or even make an experimental
one from cardboard [http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/05/build-a-sturdy-
cardboar...](http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/05/build-a-sturdy-cardboard-
laptop-stand/)

