I recently visited my sister and had the pleasure of sitting on her Balance Ball Chair while working at my laptop (it travels with me wherever I go). Although it was a little weird at first, I got the hang of it quickly and found myself sitting with such perfect posture. 
I can see how, if not accustomed to sitting on a ball, your low back muscles could get tired from finally working and feel tight after sitting on the ball for hours. The lower spinal muscles get weak with all the slumping we do, but you can't really slump when using a balance ball chair, so those muscles that actually support your vertebra work!!!
The chair is made by lifestyle company Gaiam (they make solar energy products now too!!!). Gaiam designed the chair with chiropractic pioneer Dr. Randy Weinzoff, as a tool for strengthening core muscles and improving spinal alignment. The 52 cm ball is removable (imagine all the exercises you can do with the ball when it is out of the chair) and the chair is designed for folks between 5'1" and 5'11''.
The only downsides I can see are that you can't do the chair squat desk stretch in this chair and that it is not the most attractive piece of furniture out there.
Buy it from Gaiam directly for the sale price of $80, marked down from $100.
Boots
Alexander McQueen
Yumi
That looks like something I'd actually use...I could never live it down if I just brought a ball in to sit on!
Kind of off-topic, but seeing their name reminded me. On the warnings to one of their vids, it said women who are menstruating shouldn't do some yoga poses....I NEVER KNEW THIS! Anyone have any more info?
1I kind of really want one of these, if I had the money. It just looks fun!
2all i can picture is dwight sitting on his "balance ball" and jim popping it with scissors.
3I sit on this exact chair at work. I used to sit on a stability ball, but I found that the size of the ball was just not right for me to be at the right height to my desk. Deflating a regular ball sorta defeatst the purpose, so I switched to this. It's the perfect size for my desk, and I think WAY more comfortable than a regular office chair.
4I believe menstrating women should avoid back bends (or anything like it--perhaps includes camel pose), inverted poses (which I can't do regardless) and I also heard "strenous standing poses" though I'm not sure exactly what that means. I go with the philosophy that these all seem to bend the body opposite in the opposite direction of drainage. I notice that when I am menstrating I usually have to dial down the effort for the more difficult poses (well, they are difficult to me) because I feel a bit weaker. But I would love to hear if anyone else knows more. I tried to look it up in the Yoga Journal but couldn't find anything online.
5This looks great! But my mum hates anything that doesn't look aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
6i've heard these things tighten tummy muscles too.
7It's kind of cute. I looooove my slumpy office chair though.
8ong, i want it for my desk, but how high is it? i sit at my desk doing homework and surfing teamsugar
all day! this would be great!
9It's cute!
10vsakakeeny - about yoga and your period - yes, I have also been taught to do any inversions where your head goes below your heart- even Downward-facing dog. I guess that you could argue that your preventing the natural flow of your menses, but we're not talking about doing a 45-minute headstand here.
My philosophy is to do what feels right to you. When I have my period, exercise definitely relieves my cramps and lightens my mood. Many women are too tired to workout as hard as they normally do, so they should obviously take it easy.
It's funny, but traditionally, yoga was performed by men, and I think they made up these rules about menstruating women - thinking that just because they had they're periods, they were totally incapacitated. I may be cranky and bloated, but it doesn't mean I can't move!
11Haha, fit! I kinda thought that, too. I've been getting into yoga for awhile now and the first time i'd heard it was from a warning on a dvd!?
I guess that would make sense in theory, but I think down dog is the only inversion I do.
Just wondered if there was any real validity to it or if I'd really mess myself up or something!
12this is AWESOME!
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