You sit down to your computer to put in some productive time and start with all the best of intentions when it comes to good posture. You know, seated upright, upper body in lift, all systems GO. Yet before you know it – maybe this happens for you, too – you get this little collapse. Your chest sinks down. Your shoulders roll forward. And – seemingly all of a sudden – at or below the belt, your back starts to squeeze and tighten, and you just sit it out (guilty!) or squirm in discomfort. Guess what’s happened? You have created a fatal situation in your back.
In today’s video, I’ve got your back.
80% of all women have or will at some point in their lives experience back pain. And if you’re like me and spend a lot of time sitting at your desk at your computer, then today’s episode is for you.
My new favorite fitness toy: FitBall
I’ve got my favorite new fitness toy to share with you. Don’t be frightened. And don’t laugh! I know it looks very orthopedic, but that’s the point it IS orthopedic.
Sitting at your desk, maybe you’ve experienced this too.
Do you find that your back starts to ache ? Right down in the low back. A few weeks ago. I started to notice that I was getting increasing pain in the lower back. Now, I’d been doing a lot of travel and I was a bit crunched in the back from all of that. Plus sitting long hours at my desk. And I thought, “I’ve really got to do something here”. I do corrective exercise, I get up and move about, but those long hours at my computer were really taking their toll on my back. Visiting my sister, she commented “I know what you might want to try – why don’t you try my new chair ball that I got at my chiropractor’s?” At that point, I was willing to try anything. So I used it, and I found out it helped enormously and immediately went online to order one for myself. And I couldn’t wait to tell you about it. Let me explain more about the problem, and why we are experiencing the back pain. Then I’ll show you how to use this puppy to your own pain-free advantage.
Spine-friendly seating
Correct position while sitting would have you:
- upright,
- with a slight curvature in your lower back,
- a little curvature in the upper back,
- and also a little curve in the in the back of the neck.
This follows the naturally occurring curves in your spinal column, designed to cushion, flex, and distribute stress. 
Correct sitting posture respects the natural curves of the spine
[divider] [/divider]
Enter FitBall
The trick is, how to recreate that posture for extended periods of time when you need to be seated. And that’s when this toy comes to the rescue. The FitBall is similar to large exercise balls. I’ve utilized the latter – large, fun orbs – on occasion for sitting at my computer, but the height is never quite right plus there is a definite workload involved with these, and I don’t always want to be spending hours trying to balance myself when at my desk. The FitBall is the perfect compromise.
Falling out of good position:Â The graphic truth
Here’s what’s happening when we fall out of good position. When we slump out of our natural spinal curves, what’s happened is we’ve created an unnatural flattening of the curve in our lower back – smack dab in the lumbar region. Specifically, the pelvis has started to sneak into a posterior tilt. This means that the top of the pelvis has started to tilt back toward the wall behind you. This in itself is not necessarily a “bad” or “wrong” thing. As a matter of fact, many exercise techniques actually build this slight pelvic tilt in to portions of their technique. Yet in this situation – seated – you have drained the energy out of your upper body and collapsed it south, causing all of the workload and weight of the upper body to sit right in that lower back. It’s no wonder the pain there screams at us.
There’s an easy solution
Setting up your FitBall is a piece of cake. Put a little bit of air into it- it comes with an easy ‘blow hole’ and play with it to find just the right amount of fill to give you proper support, which will depend on your weight and body size. When you sit down, scootch right up to the front portion of the FitBall so that the air-filled area presses you slightly forward into a wonderful upright position. My video demonstrates this clearly. You can then easily upright your spine, plant your feet on the floor, stay much more energized, and trust me, much less inclined to fall into a slump. You’ll find yourself better able to sit in good position for longer periods of time. You should still get up and move about often – which I do – yet you’ll find resiliency at sitting much improved.
I did your shopping for you
Thinking that you might like to snag one of these for yourself, I snooped around the internet to find the best availability. Here’s where I found the best price and fastest delivery: FitBall. As a matter of fact, when I ordered shipping was free and I saved about $15 over buying at the chiropractor’s office. Delivery was quick too. One more tip: FitBall comes in different sizes. I went for the larger, 15″ size so that I would stay solidly on the desk and wouldn’t have to navigate staying ‘on board’ and not rolling off the edges. Please let me know if you end up checking FitBall out yourself by leaving your comments in Leave a Reply below. If you’ve found a different solution to this problem, let me know about that too! In a pinch, you could use a pillow yet it is the air-pressured properties of the FitBall that give it functional edge. Here’s to better backs for busy women!
Lani, omigosh how in the world did you know this has just been hitting me HARD. I’m thrilled that you addressed this TODAY of all days and can’t wait to order this “puppy” as you call it. I’ve never seen anything like the Fitball and thanks so much for doing the research and providing the link! The video is great – so much better than be ordering and trying to figure out how best to use it. Excellent and thanks!
Hey Francesca, I love it when timing is like this! Thanks so much for letting me know I hit your nail on the head AND let me know how you like your FitBall, OK?
Cheers to you,
Lani
Well, Lani, you did it again. I love your video clips, they are so helpful and that Fitball just might fill the bill for me. I looked at the Website and I think I will invest in one. Thank you for all your insight and help.
Maggie
Maggie, thank you so much for your feedback, it means a lot to me to read your comments.
Please let me know if you end up getting a FitBall for yourself, and how it works out for you!
Lani
Lani, this is a great post! I don’t have this problem myself, but I found something similar off ebay which I’m gonna have my parents try out… I’m always telling them that they’re slouching at the computer and they’re always saying they can’t remember to sit up straight!
Jennifer, the nice thing about the habit to slouch is that it tells us the habit to not slouch can be built just as well. Let me know what you come up with and how it works, OK?
Thanks for your post!
Lani
Wow, do I need one of these. As soon as I can get back on track financially…I am getting one!
Hi, there! I have been doing a lot of genealogical research at the computer lately and hope the Fitball is the answer to posture problems, sitting for long periods. I watch my posture carefully, but haven’t found a computer chair, yet, that puts my body forward the way it should. Hope this helps me keep my back in good shape. So far, so good! Hi to Greg!
Hey Susan! Yes, give it a whirl because it may be just the ticket, it’s working like a charm for me. Just what the geneologist ordered! Let me know how it works out if you get one of these FitBalls!
I just joined, you website and fit kit. I love your tips and website! The link for the fitball does not work, can you repost or let us know how to attain one? I had only wished I didn’t miss your T-Tap Class a few years ago in Walnut Creek, CA. Happy to see you have this site to refer to now that I live in Las Vegas, NV.
Blessings!
Marney
Hi Marney,
I just repaired the fitball link – thanks for bringing it to my attention! Let me know if it still gives you challenges.
I remember your name from years ago and am so glad that you came in and connected so we could catch up. Thanks for your kind words, you made my day! How’s all in LV?
Lani
Hi Lani,
I just ran across the video again, today. I am so sorry I hadn’t remembered to let you know my results!! I watched this video when you first posted it and ordered my fitball. I’ve been using it practically everyday since then. One thing I realized by watching this again is that I had too much air in mine. Looking at yours, then looking at mine, I got the ‘aha’ to let some out. Feels much better! I have a tight psoas muscle on my left side. and tender spot in the piriformis. I’m an avid exerciser and don’t often spend as much time stretching as I should. That’s changing, though. It’s improving for which I’m grateful, and this little fitball is helping too. I use my big fitness ball off and on, but it is not good for long hours, that’s for sure. Thanks for sharing this tip.
Blessings,
Vanetta
Hey Vanetta, thanks so much for the update. I’m sitting on MY Fitball as we speak! Glad you noticed the inflation level – yes, it makes all the difference. You want just enough to pitch the pelvis gently into position so that the spinal erectors are lined up along a solidly lifted lower back. It keeps them stacked in their natural support. This should help you stretch while you sit. Awesome! Keep me posted!
Hi Lani,
Just found your video about the Fitball……….I have a ruptured disc in L4 – L5 and have trouble sitting for too long without serious aches! I have a question though, before I decide to order one. Are you able to sit back further in the chair while using it? What I mean is could you use it and still sit back enough to get the use of the chair back for support?
thanks for any advise and thanks for your great videos,
Susan
Hi Susan,
I see what you’re saying – get the pelvic tilt going on a bit while still having back support. With the larger size of Fitball I have, that would only be possible if I could have the fitball hanging off the back of the chair. Otherwise, I would be just sitting smack dab in the middle of it and it would lose its posture-adjusting powers. See what I mean? You need to be on the edge of it to get the postural effect.
So, if you’ve got a chair that would accomodate, you’d be good to go! Or perhaps a different sized fitball? Keep me posted on what you decide.!
Thank you Lani for your video. I just got to work from the Chiro who gave me this fitball disc to try for my tailbone pain. Mine was overinflated and your video gave me instructions that were lacking on the insert that came with the disc.
Glad to find your website and look forward to seeing what other things you have there.
I have been an office worker for 13 years & just the last fortnight getting bad lower back pain! So glad I found this on your pinterest wall – thanks for posting – i am definitely going to try 🙂
Great Sandy! I’m glad you found it on Pinterest – I’m utilizing it as another way to find articles on my blog. What do you think? How would you suggest I set up categories? Want to make it easy for you to get all the info you need!