Ok fellow deal hunters let’s face it….gyms, yoga classes, personal trainers…it’s expensive and takes time away from being with my family. So over the last ten years I’ve created by own home workouts that I can do quickly, easily and afford-ably whenever I find a gap in the schedule.
I save a ton of money by working out at home. And for the last ten years I have used a yoga ball as my own, mini home gym in three key ways.
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- MUSCLE TONING > My simple program focuses on curls, crunches and push-ups and the yoga ball makes it easy to isolate specific joints and muscles. Using my stability ball is key for building core strength in hopes of a flat tummy again one day. And the best part? A stability ball is much smaller than a home gym! I keep it handy so I can roll on and lift whenever I have some time.
- SHAPING BUNS > I sit on a yoga ball to do tiny crunches that work the gluts and thighs. When I was pregnant with twins I sat on a yoga ball whenever I was at work on my computer and I still do it today to help lessen the “flattening”!! You can even bounce a bit while working to activate that booty; I know multi-tasking is not ideal but you gotta work it when you can, right?
- STRETCHING > My back gets really tight from lifting kiddos all day so I pull out my yoga ball and arch backwards. The stretch is amazing and it’s the efficient alternative to one of those enormous contraptions that you hang upside down in: A) I don’t have space for one of those and B) they are super expensive. I have found that stretching out my back on a daily basis keeps the “ouchies” away!
One thing I know can be a barrier for using a yoga ball is the lack of stability. Some people feel like they’re literally rolling away in the middle of their reps. But we recently learned of a new kind of stability ball designed to address this problem and were fortunate to receive the product for review and share the experience with you.
It’s called Best Ball and has a totally new design which makes is easy to balance on! And that’s not all…Best Ball is the only yoga ball that will gradually build resistance as you exercise, adding variety and challenge to your work out.
HOW DID THEY DO IT?
Best Ball is uniquely designed with eight air-filled resistance pouches inside which look like “wings” that wrap around the bottom half of the ball. These wings bow out and stabilize the ball while still allowing it to roll. This wing structure also keeps Best Ball from rolling away when in storage. Because the wings progressively flair out, resistance increases throughout each exercise as you literally work “uphill” while being challenged by the ball’s tendency to roll back to its neutral position. Some really smart people are behind the innovation of this new workout tool.
OUR PRODUCT TEST
When our family inflated Best Ball and spent some time using it we found that it works incredibly well for larger people. My husband is a big guy and not only was Best Ball large enough for him to sit comfortably on, he could bounce on it and stretch quite easily. Unlike my other yoga ball the kids were able to feel stable when climbing on Best Ball. And for me? The true test was incorporating Best Ball into my home workout and I can tell you that it’s 100% more stable than my regular yoga ball. It’s also better as an office chair because I don’t have to think about it rolling away. I can sit on it and lift my feet up without rolling! Whether it’s my workouts or family playtime in the yard this is one innovation that our entire family will enjoy.
WHERE TO GET IT?
Best Ball can be part of an effective training system for beginner, intermediate and advanced users alike. Now available on BestBallFitness.com and Amazon.com, Best Ball includes an instructional DVD along with workout routines, a really nice foot pump and adapter for easy inflation. Best Ball’s burst-resistant structural material is a biodegradable plastic that allows its resistance wings to maintain their shape. This unique benefit is not possible with the typical PVC plastics used in most stability balls.
We hope you’re inspired to save money and create your own home-based workout using a stability ball. For more info about Best Ball visit BestBallFitness.com and create your own workouts at home.
Disclosure: I received Best Ball at no charge for the purposes of evaluating this new product and sharing a review with you. This is my honest opinion and insight.
