Once upon a time, there was a fad that circulated
around for the fitness freaks in all of us: Replace your chair with an exercise ball.
On one of these balls, your body needs to make constant muscle adjustments to stay upright. The subsequent
improvements to your balance and abdominal strength can be superlative. After originally struggling to stay
on the ball for not even half a minute, you’ll start staying upright for several.
But there were drawbacks. The lack of back support could aggravate lower back and hip injuries. If one could
afford an advanced desk chair, a $15 to $30 exercise ball just didn’t cut it.
Enter the j/fit Training Disc. A
Frisbee-shaped, inflatable cushion that’s placed on a chair or added to a workout, it provides all the same
benefits of an exercise ball but without the back pain or bulky size (in fact, many reviewers on Amazon
have said it’s aided their recovery from back pain…or their 87-year-old grandmother’s leg neuralagia). Plus,
it’s more versatile: It has one smooth side and one with massaging, elevated bumps. And while it looks small,
you needn’t worry about breaking it: It can hold up to 350 pounds (159 kilograms).
The process of using the disk can help your mind, too. The calmness and concentration of finding one’s
balance is serenely centring. But for most of us, it’ll be our best friend because we can sneak a feel-good
sit-down into even our laziest of days.
As one reviewer writes, “The disc is small enough to keep in the living room so I can sneak in a mini-workout
watching TV or playing tug-of-war with the dog. I don’t see it as a ‘main’ workout but it’s a great
supplement — I love it.”
The disc can also be purchased with The Great Balance and Stability Handbook by Andre Noel Potvin,
which is a slim and handy aid for those of us who wouldn’t know the first thing to do with the seat. So,
really, it can be a gift for anyone.
And, most importantly, everyone’s jealous of a good posture. Use this blue buddy to make all your other
friends green with envy!•
Photo courtesy of j/fit
