If Not Now, When?

THIS ISSUE: Exercise Ball Use

Table of Contents:

1) Editor's Note
2) Food for Thought
3) Feature Article: Exercise Ball Use
4) Teleclasses
5) Question & Answer
6) Our Services

Editor's Note

Hi,

This has been an interesting month. As many of you know, I officially retired from my regular job as a corporate trainer earlier this year. (I still plan on taking a few training jobs occasionally, but I want to keep the traveling down.) Well, now that I have all this extra time, I have found myself signing up to be a substitute teacher in our local school district for middle school and high school. I had my first assignment afew weeks ago. Let's just say that working with teenagers is a different experience than working with adults.

And, if that isn't enough, last week I was asked if I would be willing to teach a martial arts class (I have a 4th degree black belt in Aikido) for young adults who have psychological problems and have been abusing drugs and/or alcohol. Of course I said yes. Now these classes are really going to be interesting . . .

On a lighter note, my wife and I are heading up to Las Vegas for the weekend to donate a little money to the local economy. That should be fun, but hopefully not too expensive.

This month my main article is about one of my favorite pieces of exercise equipment, the exercise ball. This is a very versatile and inexpensive piece of equipment that you should consider using.

Reminder - I still have a few spots open in my on line fitness coaching group.  Just go to  my coaching site to check things out.

Good luck, keep exercising, and remember – "If not now, when?".

Best Wishes,

Tom Manfredi


Send any comments you may have to tom@fitness-after-50.com

My site fitness-after-50.com

Food for Thought

Feature Article - Exercise Ball Use

You may have seen a large vinyl ball about 2 feet in diameter at your local health club or for sale in various fitness stores or fitness departments at larger stores. These balls are referred to as exercise balls, fitness balls, Swiss balls, or balance balls. They have been around now for several years, and they are a great, inexpensive piece of exercise equipment to start using.

These balls can be used in combination with many of your standard exercises to give them some variety, and to help improve both balance and core strength. The key benefits of using an exercise ball come from it's very instability. By sitting or laying on the ball, your normal exercises are intensified because of the need for your body to stay more balanced while exercising. You end up involving your core muscles with almost every exercise in order to maintain balance on the ball.

If you are a mature exerciser and/or a new exerciser, you should use caution in incorporating an exercise ball into your exercise routine. Become accustomed to doing exercises like crunches, push ups, chest flys, etc. on the floor or seated normally before you try them with an exercise ball. Also, because of the instability of the ball, I suggest you under-inflate it initially to give it a little more stability. Filling it to it's firm capacity makes for great exercises, but only if you already have a good start toward proper balance and core strength.

I have found that when I do exercises on the ball it is also helpful to have a thin rubber yoga mat under the ball and my feet, so my feet don't slip as I maneuver around on the ball.

I think you will find that using an exercise ball in your exercise routine will add some fun and some challenge to your daily regime. So have fun, but be careful.

(c)2005 - 2008 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS

Teleclasses

I will be announcing upcoming teleclasses in this section in the future.

If you have a topic that you would be interested in hearing about in a teleclass, send an e-mail to teleclasses@fitness-after-50.com

Questions and Answers

Choose the exercise ball that is right for you based on your height.  When sitting on the ball, your thighs should be parallel or a little above parallel to the floor, with your knees level or a little below the height of your hips. A ball used for exercise should be firm. You should never need to inflate the exercise ball above the maximum diameter if you have selected the correct size ball. How do you know what size to order?  Choose a: