Okay . . . I've heard about the seating debate raging on a few email loops, but I knew the story had hit the big time when I read about it in the Wall Street Journal. According to the WSJ, the chair of choice these days isn't a chair at all . . . but a big, rubber ball. Exercise balls, usually priced at about $25, are a lot cheaper than an Aeron chair (usually over $1,000) and probably a lot more fun. Like the chair pictured here? You can get one at www.fitball.com for $109.95.
According to the WSJ, employees at BlueSky Strategies in Toronto have races on ball chairs when they need a break.
I do tend to get up feeling stiff and creaky after a long day at the desk, but I'm not sure a ball chair is the answer. For one thing, Babe would probably try to carry it around, so it'd pop in a matter of minutes. For another, I'm afraid I'd drift off in thought and roll backward. And how am I supposed to lean back, prop my feet on the desk, and watch a video on a ball chair? Shudder. They might be fun for a while, but not for all day. Still, if it's your thing . . . go for it. And let me know how it feels. :-)
~~Angie
Angie, I've been sitting on an exercise ball instead of a desk chair since February 16, and I don't think I'll ever go back! Okay, I have fallen off of it twice...reaching for a Kleenex on the shelf behind me...but still, it is the most comfortable thing I've ever sat on, and SO easy to get up and down from. Granted, I still split my writing day between my office (on the ball), a bar stool in the kitchen, and the sofa; and later this spring I'll spend part of the morning out on the deck in a lawn chair. But I spent a recent Saturday on deadline on that ball for almost 12 hours and never got tired. I think the stands for the ball (like in your photo) would defeat a lot of the advantages of it - being able to roll and stretch, having to balance yourself, etc. And BTW, you CAN put your feet up while on the ball...maybe not on your desk, but I put mine on a footstool with no problem.
ReplyDeleteEek! You're giving me nightmares! I actually exercise with my exercise ball and so understandably, I have an intense love/hate relationship with the thing. Well, hate mostly. Perhaps I would learn to love it if I used it to work instead of workout?
ReplyDeleteAnd Deb... I don't understand. Is your ball big enough that you are properly situated at your desk with your ball resting on the floor? I have short legs, hence a smaller ball... so I'd have to get a VERY low desk for that to work.
I've used a ball for the past year. Or I did...until DH sat on it and popped it. I'm 5'7". On the ball for my size, I'm at the perfect level for being at the computer. When I get stumped, I bounce. A great workout and it gets my brain working again. I do think it'd be hard to use with a laptop, though. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI have a 16 year old autistic son and he loves his ball chair. He lightly bounces on it while he works/plays on the computer and it gives him good sensory input and helps keep him calm.
ReplyDeleteI have a ball and alternate between that and a desk chair. Part of it depends on how long I am sitting. I have a bad back and I actually do much better on the ball. And I do like to bounce as well when I am stuck, bored, etc.
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot, you all should stop by my mother's blog,www.sherrieashcraft.blogspot.com for a hiliarious rendition of Balls Gone Bad. Scroll down to second entry from the bottom.
ReplyDelete;-)
I'm 5'8" and the 65 cm. ball is the perfect height for my tabletop-height desk. You need to inflate it until you think it will pop. I didn't get it inflated enough at first, and it's much better super-full. I've added air to mine a couple times in the three weeks I've had it to keep it nice and firm.
ReplyDeleteLike Kerry, I love bouncing on it too, it keeps me awake and is great for thinking. You might feel a tiny bit dizzy the first day or two you use your ball as a chair, but that goes away quickly once you get your "sea legs." ; )
Now I'm headed over to read Christina's mom's story. : )