Fitzy Bitzy: Fitness Blog – Weight Loss Blog – Trainer Blog

Core, core, core.  That’s the new million dollar word in fitness.  So what’s considered the core?  The core area of your body is the area above, below, and around your pelvis and hips.  It’s actually made up of inner muscles and outer muscles.  The inner muscles surround the spine itself, while the outer muscles are the muscles everyone thinks of: abs, obliques, and low back muscles.

Strengthening the core really is an awesome way to give yourself a whole new you.  The most important area to strengthen, though, is the inner core.  Strengthening this area can decrease back pain, improve balance, prevent injury, aid in weight loss and muscle development, etc.  A stronger core is the secret to happiness…well maybe that’s a little much, but you know what I mean.

So how can I strengthen my core?  Good question.  One great and simple piece of equipment is a stability ball.  A stability ball helps wake up the lazy core and gets those muscles working again.

So what size is right for you?

I recently had a client use a stability ball as a desk chair, that’s right, a desk chair.  What an awesome way to work your core while surfing the web, reading this blog, or doing whatever you do at your desk.  Even though stability balls are a fun exercise tool, they still can be dangerous because if you’re not careful, you’ll roll right off.  So be careful.

Scared about falling off, guess what?  Try filling your ball with some sand or water.  You still get the benefits of the ball, but now you can do so much more with it because it has a more stable base.  BOSU is now marketing this concept; it’s called the Ballast Ball.  Don’t worry, I’m not part of a marketing strategy for them.  I just think it’s a cool ball.  I’ve used them before, and man let me tell you, you can really get a good workout with one.  Has anybody else used them before.  If so, let me know what you think.