My Wonderfully Wacky Office Chair

I do a fair amount of sitting in front of a computer at work. We all know the health hazards of that scenario. So I've made it a point to put some Sneaky Fitness into my day.

 Setting my cell phone alarm for every hour gives me a reminder to do this simple thing: stand up and sit back down. Work lower body muscles and get the blood flowing. Think about it. If you do that 10 times every hour or so, by the end of your work day you've done 60 - 80 squats! Wow-- 60 squats a day is fantastic.  How did I go a step further?

 

Ta-dah: my Wonderfully Wacky Office Chair.

 

I get a lot of questions about it. As you can see, it looks pretty unconventional. Made by Gaiam, it is basically an exercise ball in a wheeled platform. (Got it from Amazon- go to our Amazon Store  for a closer look. ) By sitting up straight - no leaning back - core muscles are hard at work, all while I'm at my desk. It really works, too, because the first few days I REALLY noticed some sore abs and back muscles. That went away after a few days and I feel more than a little smug at sneaking some fitness into my day. Want to get one for home, too. I miss it on the weekends!