New ways to exercise are always being invented, there is a particularly new and exciting way of exercising that has become very popular – balance balls. some reasons for the explosion in popularity of this type of exercise are that it is very portable, it is low impact (therefore it is particularly quiet), it can be carried out in a very small area and it doesn't cost much.

One of the most popular exercise balls folks are using at the moment is the Swiss ball. It is an inflatable ball that is usually a around 65 or 75 cm diameter. Quite a lot of folks just replace their work chair with a Swiss ball. when you are sitting on a Swiss ball, it feels quite natural to make small rocking movements rather than just sitting still which works the core and also provides a small amount of exercise even while just sitting around.

But when it is used in the course of normal exercise the Swiss ball is an amazingly versatile piece of exercise equipment. Most of the exercises using the Swiss ball primarily work the core but all of these exercises work the secondary muscles at the same time and it's also possible to emulate the same kind of exercises that you can do on home gym machines.

One day while I was working at the gym, a gym instructor showed me how to do press ups by putting my feet on top of the ball. While doing this, the feet attempt continually to roll off the top of the ball, therefore as well as the usual benefits of doing press ups, you are also continually working the core which is trying to stop the feet from rolling off the sides of the ball.

Most of the Swiss ball exercises are based on the same principle – a part of the body is elevated on the top of the Swiss ball and this part of the body is encouraged by gravity to dismount from the top of the ball. This may sound quite basic and you might assume that there are only a handful of exercises that can be done in this way. But you simply have to do a quick search on youtube for the phrase Swiss ball exercise and very soon you will normally notice that there are absolutely hundreds of exercises that you can do with your Swiss ball.

In fact, once you have tried attempting these exercises and trying new ones you will normally most likely start inventing your own original ones before long. Returning to the press up with the feet resting on the Swiss ball, once you attempt this you will normally probably notice not only that it works on the core, but it also adds a new angle to the upper body toil that you do. As you will probably discover while doing press ups the whole of your upper body eventually starts to shake and quiver due to the extra forces transferred from the feet all of the way down the body to the arms. This is one of the many reasons why using the Swiss ball for exercise is so effective.

As mentioned, there are literally hundreds of floor exercises that can be carried out using the Swiss ball. But if we jump ahead to the more advanced levels one of the most difficult but most advantageous ways to use the Swiss ball is to do exercises while standing on it. This is not recommended for beginners as it can be very perilous. Once one is ready to try these more difficult exercises, you should first learn how to kneel on the Swiss ball. Once this has been mastered, one can then advance to standing on top of it.

Again, by searching youtube you will normally locate some great demonstrations of exercises that you can do while standing on a Swiss ball. When searching, you will find that they have a variety of names such as Swiss balls, balance balls and exercise balls. The most important thing to consider while attempting to learn the skill is that when the ball throws you off the landing can be very painful, therefore safety mats should be used to start out at all times. Obviously, the natural tendency is for the legs to slide off the side of the ball which is the same as your feet going from under you – such as when slipping on ice. Please consider this as the main reason for exercising in the first place is to improve your health, not to damage it.

Once you have conquered standing on a Swiss ball, you will be a Swiss ball master and will have amazingly strong core and legs and an incredible ability to balance.