chair review.

remember when i told you all about my ball chair and promised further information and then i told you nothing? that was really nice of me..............









..... oh wait you still want to hear about my ball chair?


oh, ok. well, here is the chair with the ball i was using. remember? the ball that made my elbows hurt and my hips feel weak? i had that ball just on the floor and my boss told me i looked like mini me. then i got this chair. but the problem was that i couldn't just inflate the ball it came with and be merrily on my way. no, the ball has to warm up. then you have to inflate it 80% of the way, wait 24 hours and inflate it the rest of the way. what do you do when asked to wait? anything else. so of course i tried to put my ginormous but says it's 55 cm ball on my chair frame. do you think it fits?

do you think i tried to sit on this baby anyhow? do you think i/the chair/the ball went flying? you betcha bottom dollar! only took me twice to figure out that's not a good idea. 

so here's the chair with the ball at 80%. not big. not what i was expecting. in fact, the ball itself is sitting on the floor. doesn't even fill up the ring! queue emily freaking out that this isn't going to work! 

i went home that weekend, filled 'er up the rest of the way and came back in with a brand new hope. 

still it's smaller than expected but it actually fits in the ring quite nicely. 

and here i am one week? two weeks? (anyone else feel that was a bit count from sesame street - esque?) into it and i honestly feel like everything is where it's supposed to be. my knees are at about 90 degrees, my elbows are by my sides, and i'm slumping less. also if i sit too long my butt goes a little numb so i have to get up and do something else which is a good reminder. 

yup. that's my messy desk. and purple shoes. don't judge. judge. i don't really care.

i did hide my candy stash from you in this picture. :) 

yes i'm hunching in this picture. how else are you supposed to fit your body in and take the picture yourself?

also i wanted to show charlie that yes, i do wear my tutu/tulle skirt to the office. hello charles!

my ball adventures

so recently i've switched to using an exercise ball instead of a chair at work. i did my research. i made the commitment. i decided i would switch it up as of the time that my bosses went on vacation for several reasons:
a) no child would be tempted to play with my "chair"
b) no one would be able to give me grief about it
c) i wouldn't have to hear anything about it if i hated it.

also other reasons,
d) i sit at a desk all day, my hope was that i would move more
e) apparently you can burn an extra 350 calories a day. i'm all for that.

selfish reasons. mainly to keep my own sanity.

i brought in the exercise ball i already had. $5 at some store. cheap. i figured if i liked it i could get one that would actually work. according to my research i would need a ball that was 55 cm since i'm 5'6". i thought about getting a bigger one since i do still need to be up a little higher but soon after bringing my small ball in i was given the chance to borrow a 55 cm ball and i thought, "sweet". yes, i am really that deep.

so bosses on vacation for two and a half weeks. what did i notice? i noticed that i sat a whole lot lower. i have to bounce (don't laugh) in order to see if someone has parked in the parking lot or if someone is coming in. i'm probably at least 10" lower than i would be in my chair. but that also has it's benefits. i can cross my legs and not hit my keyboard. i also realized that i got up a whole lot more. i have to get up to check the phone to see who's calling. i have to get up to file. i have to get up to hit accept on the fax machine. but also i wanted to get up. move around a whole lot more.

but also while they were gone i was doing a whole lot of things that didn't really require me sitting all day so now that they're back, it's a whole new ball game.

my job mainly consists of answering the phone, making appointments, filing, making folders for clients, dealing with clients, and typing. lots of typing. i know proper form for desk sitting. both feet on the floor, computer monitor at head level, keyboard just below your hands, elbows bent at 90 degrees...

this ball is short. my boss has started calling me a less fond word than "tiny". when clients come in i have to stand up so they know i'm there. (there's a counter space above my desk so i'm hard to see)

also, while i love that i do get up more and move more i'm getting pains in my hips if i don't move for too long. probably from my rolling forward and resting on the backs of my heels. and my reach is wrong for my keyboard. so that's why i'm happy to inform you that today is my last day on the ball.

with all hope, by tomorrow i will be riding high on this:

Isokinetics Inc. Brand Fitness Ball Chair - Metal Frame - Adjustable Base and Back Height

i like that there are wheels and adjustable heights. while i do believe that my posture has gotten better, i am a bit thankful that there is a small back support. i have been using my ball to do some stretches/exercises in my down time so i'm hoping that will continue. plus i hope that just having the ball will inspire me to move more. since that is the whole purpose of it. plus it will keep littles from playing with it. possibly. and hopefully it will solve my hip problem.  

only time will tell. and i'll keep you updated on the progress.