How to look after your balls

We have been using exercise balls for a lot of years now. During that time we have seen some sights and heard some great stories of what people have done to their balls (and what you shouldn’t do!). So, here is the top 3 tips on how to look after your balls:

1. Buy a burstproof exercise ball. You can get balls at some amazing prices these days. But many of the cheaper balls are not burst proof. That means if they get punctured they will pop like a balloon, rather than deflate slowly like a car tyre. If you are on top of a ball at the time this is not something you want to happen, so invest in a good quality ball. The most common reasons we have seen that people puncture their balls is rolling over a drawing pin on the floor or a cat or dog deciding to play with the ball. A bursting ball may persuade your pet not to do it again, but I still wouldn’t recommend it!
   
2. Get the right size for you. OK, this one is more how to look after yourself than the ball, but it is still important. Using a ball that is much too small or large for you can make exercises very difficult to do and can put your body into strange positions, leading to injury. The right size ball for you is when you sit on it (and it is inflated correctly) your thighs should be horizontal or slightly above. Getting the right size of ball will make your exercise more enjoyable, so you’ll do more of it!
   
3. Keep it at the right inflation. Most commonly we see balls that are under-inflated. The balls are more soft and deform more when you sit on them. This makes them easier to use, so you don’t get nearly as much benefit from the exercise you are doing. If you are going to do the exercise you may as well get the most benefit from it, right? We have also seen the opposite problem, over-inflation, most dramatically seen by the fire crew who decided to attach a ball to the high-pressure air hose and see what happens. By all accounts the ball got as large as the fire engine before it burst!