You don’t have to be a fitness guru, a gym instructor, or a personal trainer to absolutely love exercise balls. Any patron of the arts of fitness and exercise can see and appreciate the positive, pleasurable effects of exercise balls. Historically, Aquilino Cosani, an Italian plastics manufacturer, developed the exercise ball, also known as the Swiss ball, in 1963. His purpose encompassed various treatment programs for newborns and neuro-developmental patients in Switzerland. As time went on and the exercise ball yielded excellent results in physical therapy, orthopedic, and medical treatments, therapists brought the concept to North America, where the name ‘Swiss ball’ was coined. The ball is now used in athletic training, as part of a general fitness routine. Additionally, it has been incorporated in many forms of alternative exercise such as Yoga and Pilates.

Lots of benefits

The primary benefit of exercise ball fitness is the body’s response to instability, striving to remain balanced, which engages and strengthens more muscles than exercise on a flat surface. The core body muscles, the abdominal muscles and back muscles, are the focus of exercise ball fitness programs. As beneficial and crucial as exercise balls are to your fitness, they also add an element of enjoyment to your workout. Exercise balls are also known as balance balls, birth balls, body balls, fitness balls, gymnastic balls, Pilate’s balls, Pezzi balls, sports balls, stability balls, therapy balls, and yoga balls.
In order to maintain proper posture and balance, some people sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair (for example, an office chair). This is based on the theory that the abdominal and back muscles are constantly engaged and active on the ball. However, there is no scientific evidence proving the occurrence of these benefits by simply sitting on an exercise ball in lieu of a chair i.e. without additional exercises.
Is it any surprise that the implementation of exercise balls in workouts has exploded over the last few years? Personally, I can't think of a better way to lose weight and get in shape than with an exercise ball workout.

With its increasing popularity, there are a variety of exercise balls on the Internet for you to choose from. However, as for all products you purchase, you should keep in mind that not all exercise balls are the same. There are a few things to consider when searching for the perfect exercise ball to purchase for your fitness routine:

1. Make sure you purchase the right size ball for your height. The wrong size ball will render your exercise routine useless, not to mention that it’s a waste of money.

What size ball should you buy?
That depends on your height.

If you are 4' 11" - 5' 3", you should use a 55-cm-exercise ball.

If you are 5' 4" - 5' 10", you should use a 65-cm-exercise ball.

If you are 5' 11" - up, you should use a 75-cm-exercise ball.

2. Ensure the quality of the ball before investing in it. I only recommend purchasing balls that are anti-burst or burst resistant. These balls are made from a higher quality plastic than regular exercise balls.

Please have a look around! There are plenty of free workout plans and ball exercises, plus fitness articles, exercise balls & fitness gear. If you've never tried using an exercise ball before, you should begin with exercise ball basics.