My back has been hurting a little lately. My posture has always been horrible, and lately my shoulders have been sore, too. I attribute these ailments to the hours I spend slumped in front of a computer.
I've had a big purple ball in the garage for a year or so. Some people call it a stability ball, others prefer exercise ball, or balance ball. Dwight Schrute calls his a Fitness Orb, and he says it changed his life. I decided to get it out, dust it off, inflate it, and give it a good try. What have I got to lose, right?
I have been using it at home in front of the TV for a few days. I like the way it forces you to sit up straight. It feels good to get my ribs out of my pelvis. My husband and daughter enjoy it, too. Trying to kneel on the Orb is a fun game.
Today, I decided to try it at work. After all the patients and the doctor and the nurse were gone, I rolled it under my desk and sat down. Too low...it felt like I was hanging from my elbows, propped on my desk.
I'm not one to give up. I found four phone books, and put them on the floor under my ball, two deep, side-by side, so that I had a 4" platform for my ball. It worked, kinda. I bounced and sat up straight and had good posture for an hour or half or so. Then, the phone rang, and as I shifted my weight to answer it, I rolled backward off the ball. I instinctively tried to catch myself with my hand on my desk, but I was only able to catch my thumbnail on the edge of the desk. The desk won that battle, my nail snapped off just below the quick, right before my ass hit the floor and my feet kicked the phone off the desk.
I don't know if I will try it again. The internet says using the ball as an office chair takes practice. I am not sure I've got what it takes to perfect it. After all, I've only got one thumbnail left.
Remember to always wear clean underwear - that sounds like an accident waiting to happen. I suppose it is a good thing that you work for a doctor; at least you wouldn't lay there too many days waiting for help.
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