A body ball workout for all

I recently remembered what it was like to have a teething, tumbling, owl-wanna-be, toddler in the house.  My youngest, before the baby, is now six years old and as most moms do, I put those days way in the back burner. Imagine what would happen if we kept it all fresh-- birth rates might drop quite a bit.

Our precious baby boy seems to think that teething entitles him to sleep only a few hours at night. He definitely has the “owl” syndrome. He fails to see why I disagree with this new routine. Still, on days when I feel energized by the forces of my coffee and my yerba-mate tea, I take him to the gym so he can play and I can 'de-stress'.  The 90 minutes of play time tires him out and he is usually asleep before I leave the parking lot.  Ever tried bringing a toddler into the house along with the car seat--not smart!

Anyway, I decided that for those days when I could not make it to the gym and he still needed his play time I would invest in, yet another, piece of exercise equipment.  I ordered the Valeo® Body Ball from Amazon.com, spent about $15 and got it in about 4 days--not bad.  I had TC fill it up, TA put the exercise poster on the wall (that's included) and soon after there were 5 people working, playing, exercising and using the ball as their new computer chair.  What just happened...I thought I bought it so I could exercise?  I think my family is really enjoying this new toy.  Every day, so far, all the kids and sometimes dad go in my one empty room and spend a good 30 minutes with the ball.  It’s not at all what I had in mind but I’m glad they can benefit even if only by playing around with it.

As for me and my workout, I get to play with the body ball during the day, after the baby's breakfast and before his morning nap.  He tries to kick it, tries to pick it up (kind of big for him), chases the ball across the room and down the hall...he's so cute.  Once he's down for a nap I get to work and spend about 20 minutes following the routine on the poster or I throw in a few of my own.  I guess I haven't been working my abs hard enough lately because I was pretty sore the next day. 

Bottom line, this was a really great investment for everyone in our family.  I use the body ball in many of the classes I teach and now I can really focus on my abdominal muscles, lower back, flexibility and balance without leaving my home.  Whether I use it as a toy, a chair or to exercise while watching a favorite show, the body ball is a fitness tool that won’t get dusty in my house.

Stay well!
Spin Diva

Comments

[Topsy-Techie]

At least you are still using it! I have no idea what happened to my Ab-Roller that somehow became my boys idea of a fun way to steer down the hill out back!

[Black Belt Mama]

My body ball is a toy for the girls, plain and simple. I had great ambitions but they never really worked out. I'd love some tips for things to do with it other than pretending it's a giant snowball.

A photo essay on this topic would be fabulous!

[April]

This sounds so interesting. I've seen them on tv, but never actually known anyone to use one. Thanks for sharing.

[SpinDiva]

April, BBM: I will be posting a photo journal with some ideas for the Body Ball soon.
Thanks to all of you for visiting my blog! :-)

[Kat.]

I'm going to put my request in for some sort of tutorial as well. :o) I don't have the ball yet, but I want one. I try to research stuff like this, you know...read user reviews where ever I can and see if more people like it or dislike it. So far from what I can gather, it seems to be a good investment. Probably the fact that it doesn't cost much and can be a good addition to a routine. Thanks! :o)