Stability Ball at Work - Calories Burned?

Not sure about calorie burn, but I just pictured the episode of The Office where Dwight used one for a chair and Jim stabbed it with a pair of scissors. Haha!!!!

I think the greater benefit than burning calories would be building your core. I wish some folks in my office would jump on board with the stability ball as a chair... I'd be all over it. Who doesn't love a little bounce in their seat throughout the day?!

I used to sit on one every day TILL IT POPPED!!!! in front of the co workers of course. Oh well, it was pretty funny.

i have THREE of them now (in varying size)... and i also have one of these fancy pants dot-com-boom high-upper muckkity-muck Herman Miller 'AERO' award winners, too [http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Aeron-Chairs] ... still prefer sitting on the ball 99% of the time!!!

my opinion is the only way you will be able to calculate calorie burn on a ball is by wearing an HRM, or body bug or whatever even then I'm reasonably sure it would fluctuate wildly depending on how you use it

Hmmm. I'm not sure the burn is really all that great for sitting a stability ball, but I know that spending hours sitting on one with strengthen your core.

Several sites quote 350 calories for a typical work day. Not sure if that is on top of what you would have burned sitting in a chair for the same time. If that is the case you could burn off 3lbs a month from it. I'm agree about it being good for strengthening your core which is the main reason for using it as a chair in my mind. Not to mention you can bounce on it! :bigsmile:

not sure I buy into that one

350 = calories burned running ~ 3 miles

try an get a real bicycle style floor pump if you can -- it will work in a fraction of the time and effort and keeping it well inflated to the right size and firmness is really important. You will probably have to fill it at least a second time once it settles as well... some exercises are easier and harder (to impossible) with different size balls... ideally you should have a good 90 degrees angle going on with your legs for ‎sitting, but depending on your body type (long/short legs,etc) a ball that size that is perfect for sitting would probably be way too large and difficult for doing reverse crunches like this:
http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/crunch-reverse-physioball.html

Thanks everyone! I'm definitely in it for the benefits to my core as well, but I was also curious if there was any significant burn attributed as well.

I went out on my lunch hour and purchased a 55in ball [I'm 5'5'' and that seemed to be the correct recommendation from various websites] from Target. I'm trying to decide what to do now about inflating it. It came with a hand-pump so I may wait until my deskmate leaves for the day and then inflate. I feel like it would be strange to do it at home and walk in tomorrow carrying it filled up! hahahaha

P.S. the Office!

HEY just got a "Stability Core Disk" in my morning mail today... and i really like it (in fact I'm sitting on it as i type this into my laptop)
while it is nowhere versatile and overall worthwhile as a good stability ball -- i just picked up one of these:
http://www.gofit.net/core-stability-disk.php -- it is really great (and very discreet!) when you're sitting on it in your regular office chair

doing lunges and squats etc on the disk (see link) was strangely weird fun I guess ... too soon to comment about that but again as per the subject topic of this thread this gizmo is well worth considering

I am so sold on this. I am going to buy one for work and see if it makes a difference. My posture is horrible at work, especially when I start getting sleepy. :yawn: :happy:

I have used a stability ball at my desk since 2004.
I have not lost my balance or had an accident or injury using it.
I have had to replace a few because in the winter I use a space heater and they have rolled toward the space heater and it quickly melted a hole in the ball. I now use a ball that has some sand in it, it still rolls around but not away from my desk.
I have better posture and balance. It has also reduced my back pain.
Recently work has been slow, and during lunch time I practice balance sitting (no feet on the ground and no holding onto anything with my hands) I can balance for 5 minutes straight. I can really feel that in my core and my thighs.
I recommend it to anyone who's company will allow the ball. I have a great, flexible company to work for, so it's no problem at all.

I have for 3 weeks now! And I love it!! I was having horrible shoulder and neck pain. I was having to take headache medicine everyday! I no longer have any of that pain! Also my posture has gotten soo much better!!

Calories Burned
How many calories you actually burn while sitting on the ball depends on what you're doing. According to Harvard Health Publications, desk work burns about 106 calories per hour if you weigh 135 lbs., and about 156 calories per hour if you weigh 185 lbs. Apply the 6-percent increase for sitting on an exercise ball and you can expect to burn about 112 to 165 calories per hour during office work on the ball.

Other Benefits
The exercise ball's instability forces your core muscles to work constantly at keeping you stable. This might account for the extra calorie burn and offers you a chance to develop some abdominal tone with no extra effort



Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/310665-calories-burned-sitting-on-an-exercise-ball/#ixzz1teBgSk8s

I have a Body Media and last night while I watched TV for 1.5 hours I bounced instead of sitting on the couch. Sitting on the couch for 1.5 hours burned about 170 calories (from night before readings) while bouncing for 1.5 hours burned 350...so I will be bouncing along every night now. I am a female and weigh 140. Now I am considering getting one for work as well.

Just sitting on the ball will not get your HR up to a point where you are burning any consideralbe extra calories. The point is that your core will be working all day long to keep you on that ball. It will strengthen your core which will make everyday things a lot easier and less prone to injury. Where a HR monitor is you want to see if you burn any extra calories.