I purchased a Reebok StayBall a couple of years ago in yet another attempt to get in shape and lose weight. I think I used it twice. Then it became just another thing collecting dust in the spare room. Last year I hurt my lower back and had a lot of trouble sitting all day in a chair to work. So, I started rotating between sitting in my chair and sitting on the exercise ball. I read up on the benefits of sitting on a ball instead of a chair including increased leg and core strength and burning more calories. But, most people don’t recommend you sit on the ball all day long. So, can sitting on an exercise ball for part of the day really help you get in better shape? Can you really work your muscles and burn calories without “working out”? I decided to find out today.
I have a BodyMedia FIT armband which counts how many calories I burn all day long, not just when my heart rate is up like heart rate monitors do. Having this armband allows me to really know how many calories my body needs based on my activity (or lack of activity) level and is much more accurate than just calculating your BMR. Having the armband also let’s me do fun tests like find out if twitching your foot all day long like some people do will burn more calories. So, today I decided to see if sitting on my StayBall for an hour while I worked burned more calories than sitting in my comfy, squishy office chair. I did the same type of work (I stare at a computer all day, type a little, move a mouse around, the basics) and tried to limit how much I got up during the time I was testing.
After sitting on the StayBall for 60 minutes I had burned 77 calories. For an 8 hour workday I should burn 616 calories sitting on an exercise ball.
After sitting in my office chair for 60 minutes I had burned 73 calories. For an 8 hour workday I should burn 584 calories sitting on my office chair.
If I took sitting on the ball more seriously and made sure I was always upright and using my core I imagine I could burn an extra 50 calories per day if I sat on it for the full 8 hours.
While this is in no way scientific and I know I would need to be in a more controlled environment to get solid results, I think it’s good enough to say that sitting on an exercise ball isn’t going to make you drop any poundage. But, you still may get benefit in your legs and core and may have better back health. Also, when sitting on the ball I was mor likely to move around, shift the weight on my legs and all around just keep a bit more awake and alert than I did when I was sitting in my chair. So, sitting on an exercise ball might be a good way to get through the afternoon or avoid that after-lunch slump even if it isn’t a magic weight loss solution.
Happy sitting!
