In case you hadn’t heard, there’s a new fitness tool that lots of beginning trainers are raving about, something simple that you can adapt to many different activities…the balance cushion.

Also called a “balance disc”, the balance cushion is just what it sounds like, a cushion made out of plastic that you can use to keep your body active and help yourself achieve fitness results.

Among the things you can do with the balance cushion are the following:

Advanced Push-Ups: Use the cushion as a buffer between your arms and the ground.  This will ‘amp up’ simple push-up activities to work more muscle groups.

The Side-Arm Lean: Place the cushion on the ground and push against it with one arm to do a variation of a one-armed push-up.  This will work your arm muscles and test your balance at the same time!

The Freshman Hop: Stand on the balance cushion with one leg and maintain balance.

These and other activities use the balance cushion to combine a traditional muscle workout and a new and innovative aspect that helps work more muscle groups including the abs and back muscles.  When your body consistently maintains balance, you get more strength in the muscles that work to center you.  That’s one of the great benefits of the balance cushion.

And there’s more: Lateral Pelvic Tilts, Back Extensions, Leaning Trunks, Rotary Planks, and Quick Drop & Jumps are more of the activities that the balance cushion can help out with, as well as simple squats and lunges.  There’s also what’s called “active sitting”, where the balance cushion helps your body stay active during a long day sitting in a chair, and for this reason, the balance cushion is popular with cubicle workers and commuters alike.

Fitness customers who try the balance cushion send back rave reviews, claiming this tool helps them with needed “gut-busting” goals, accommodates damaged ACLs and even assists with “iliotibial band friction syndrome”…the upshot is, a balance cushion can provide great low-stress activity options for those who need certain kinds of physical therapy or those with a limited range of motion or other limitations.  Always check with a doctor before using the balance cushion is you have existing back problems, as each person responds differently to the use of this fitness tool.  Some who had been using exercise balls report more flexibility from the balance cushion, and it’s well worth a try if you need a specialized workout.

The example of the balance cushion illustrates a “new wave” in fitness, the idea that you don’t have to wrestle with heavy weights or groan through endless reps of push-ups to get muscle tone.  The idea that there are more subtle ways of building muscle or maintaining body strength and agility really appeals to a lot of people who only knew the “classic” workout methods – and tools like the balance cushion bring that versatility to your home (or office) gym, making a level playing field for those who can’t afford lavish facilities and pricy personal trainers.  So consider adding the balance cushion to your repertoire for any of your fitness needs!