Stabilize that Core with Gaiam {Sponsored} | The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC

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In life, I wear many hats…three of my hats are jobs that I do at the computer.

You know what that means? I sit. A lot.

I have a history of lower back problems, and I point the finger squarely at my less than stable core muscles. I’ve worked hard over the years to strengthen my core (and kill the muffin top). And one thing that has always intrigued me is balance ball chairs.

When I worked in a traditional office, ergonomic was the big buzzword. Many of my co-workers had balance balls as chairs, which I always wanted to try – so when Gaiam approached me to try out their Balance Ball Chair Kit, I was super excited!

The Balance Ball Kit includes 2 52 centimeter balance balls, the chair base and a resistance band. You can use one ball in the chair base and the other is for workouts…along with the resistance band. There’s even a workout dvd included.

How do I like Gaiam’s Balance Ball Chair? Well, it’s currently my office chair and I spend lots of quality time with it. I did make one modification…I purchased a larger balance ball to place in the base because I’m quite tall and needed a little more height.

I definitely notice a difference in my core strength, simply because I’m unconsciously always trying to stay upright on the ball. Once in a while, I like to lift my feet up off the ground to give myself a little challenge.

Would I recommend this chair to someone who spends a lot of time sitting in front of a computer? Absolutely. I’ve gotten rid of my traditional office chair!

Gaiam also sent me a Step 360 to play with and man, it’s pretty awesome! What is the Step 360? Well, it’s a flat, padded platform atop two airfilled chambers. Step onto it and you’re instantly engaging your core. The 360 comes with two dvds that walk you through a total of eight super effective (OUCH, but good ouch) workouts. It also has anchors for your resistance bands for combo strength/balance exercises.

As a person who gets bored with exercise VERY QUICKLY, I have to say that the Step 360 kept my attention and made working out pretty fun…plus my kids got a kick out of watching me try to stay upright! I’ve definitely noticed a difference in my core strength and balance.

If you’re looking to change up your workout and really challenge yourself, I can’t say enough about the Step 360!

Thanks again to Gaiam for sending these products my way, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed trying both out and they’ve found a permanent place in my routine!

Disclosure: I was sent Gaiam products to try out and enjoy free of charge. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

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