Date:  April 24, 2007

 The Exercise Ball comes in various sizes so try to get the size best suited to your height and weight.  The rule of thumb is to sit on the ball with feet flat on the floor in front of you, hips and knees should form a 90-degree angle.  The most common sizes are 65 or 55 cm balls. 

If you are 5' 6" or taller, try the 65 cm ball.  Also consider your weight, if you are overweight and under the average height for the larger ball, you may prefer the larger ball for better balance. You can control the balls size also in how much air is put into it-do not leave it mushy but it can go from firm, to firmer, to firmest.  See what feels best to your body.

Today we will focus on the ab crunch on the ball. 

Begin by sitting with your feet firmly on the floor, knees and hips forming a 90 degree angle, and sit upright.  Posture is very important and the ball forces you to balance to maintain good posture-a strong core area makes it much easier to do this.  If you are just beginning, be patient and make that a goal to work towards.

Tuck in your lower abdominals, suck it in, and taking nice breaths inhaling as you go back and exhaling as you come up keep that tummy tight. 

Roll back one vertebrae at a time on the ball until thighs and torso are parallel to the floor, keep arms comfortably at your sides or overhead (your preference), and slowly crunch your upper torso rolling up to the starting position,  remembering to keep those lower abs tight and sucked in while breathing. 

Repeat working towards 12 repetitions done 2 to 3 times 3 times per week. 

We want to hear from you so please email your questions and/or comments to info@thefitnesst.com or call us at 330.726.NEWU (6398) as we will be addressing viewer questions on future segments. 

We look forward to hearing from you.  Thank you.