Round Out Your Exercise Program With A Fitness Ball

Friday, August 23, 2002

ROCHESTER, Minn. — There's a new tool in fitness programs that seems more like a childhood toy — fitness balls.

Fitness balls (also called stability, exercise, Swiss or therapy balls) are large, inflated balls. Most people do best with a slightly deflated 55- or 65-centimeter ball.

Ball exercises place the emphasis on the muscles in the trunk — the abdominal, chest and back muscles, according to the September issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource. They work (and make you work) by constantly changing the base of your body's support. By challenging your balance, just sitting on the ball becomes an exercise. The ball can be used for abdominal curls, modified push-ups and other exercises.

As with any exercise tool, use caution and check with a trainer or physical therapist for proper techniques.

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Shelly Plutowski
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511(evenings)
email:newsbureau@mayo.edu

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