Some people have introduced the concept of using yoga balls instead of office chairs at work. There are advantages and disadvantages to using these balls as the chair.
The advantages that are usually claimed by proponents of using a yoga ball include: improved posture, strength building, reduced cost, and the cool factor.
Posture-because of the way these balls work, when balancing on top to use it as a chair, it forces you to align your spine into a perfect vertical alignment. It is very difficult to slouch while sitting atop a yoga ball. There is a distinct advantage to using these balls because it can train your body to sit perfectly erect even when you're not using the balls.
Exercise-keeping your spine perfectly aligned strengthens the muscles in your back and stomach. It provides low-level effort work out for your core muscles. By using these muscles a little bit every day, you can develop a stronger back and avoid back injuries in the future.
Cost-the yoga balls cost much less than even the least expensive office chair.
Cool factor-with many companies trying to create an atmosphere of fun for the employees, walking into a room full of richly colored spheres instead of the standard gray and black office chairs can have a visual impact that is very cheery. It is very cool for company to do something so different and outside the normal stuff the way business has always been done.
In spite of these advantages, there are some real disadvantages to using yoga balls instead of regular office chairs.
Height-most of the balls do not position a person at the proper height for typing on the keyboard at a standard desk. This can lead to stream muscles in the shoulder as the person tries to keep their arms up to type.
Unprofessional-while it may be okay in certain industries, a person sitting on a brightly colored ball may be difficult to take seriously. For example, a customer at a bank applying for a loan to buy a house may wonder if getting into debt with this particular bank is a good idea while trying to chat with a loan officer sitting on giant sphere.
Fatigue-while it is true that sitting on these balls does provide exercise, it can also cause one to become tired at the end of the day. It is perfectly fine if you have both a yoga ball and a regular office chair. However, if you only have room for one, and you choose the yoga ball, you will regret it. There will be times when you want to sit and rest, recline, or stretch in your chair. These things are difficult to do on a yoga ball.
Adjustments-on a regular office chair a person can roll from side to side adjusting themselves from directly in front of the keyboard to some other part of the desk, for example, where there may be some paperwork they need to fill out. When sitting on a yoga ball, it is difficult to reposition oneself. Aside from slight movement from side to side, one must stand up, position the ball, and then sit down again.
Overall, the concept of using a yoga ball or a chair at the office is fun, but gimmicky. If you have the space to accommodate both a ball and a regular chair, the idea is perfectly acceptable, as long as the atmosphere is still professional enough for what is needed to be done.
You can find yoga balls cheap at any of the big box chains. However, they will never replace the standard chairs, for example the stackingofficechairs.net/mesh-office-chairs mesh office chairs, and you will still need at least one of those chairs per employee.
If you are looking for a cheap alternative to the fancier chairs, but don't want something as silly as a yoga ball, or you are in need of conserving space, consider stackingofficechairs.net stacking office chairs. Just remember, however, that they usually do not come with casters on them.
George regularly contributes to several syndicated blogs, providing shopping tips and strategies.
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