Gaiam Balance Ball Chair (Black)
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List Price: Our Price: $68.73 You Save: $31.26 (31%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Sports See more product details |
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Description of Gaiam Balance Ball Chair (Black)
The Gaiam Balance Ball Chair, developed under the consultation of chiropractic pioneer Dr. Randy Weinzoff, greatly alleviates the aching back/legs/arms syndrome that comes from working at a desk for hours. Designed for people between 5-feet and 5-feet, 11-inches tall, this unique chair employs the same balance ball used in your workout routine, but with an adjustable support bar, easy-glide casters, an air pump, and a desktop guide to help keep you moving. Designed by leading health and fitness experts, the Gaiam Balance Ball chair helps relieve pain and promote proper spinal alignment, posture, a healthier back, and overall well-being. The Balance Ball Chair is an effective tool for strengthening core muscles and improving spinal alignment. |
Specifications:
- The height of the back of the chair is 2.5 feet tall
- The base measures 20 inches wide from one side of the wheels to the other
- Comes with 2 locking back casters and 2 regular front casters
- Some assembly is required
- Dimensions: 21 by 31 by 22 inches (W x H x D)
- Weight: 13 pounds
- Weight Capacity: 300 pounds
What's in the Box?
Gaiam Balance Ball chair, air pump
Special Note:
For optimal performance, it may be necessary to re-inflate your new Balance Ball once or twice after the initial inflation. Once your chair is assembled and the Balance Ball is inflated, re-check the ball size the next day. If necessary, add additional air and check once more the following day. Your new Balance Ball may need a day or two to "stretch" to its final size (which should then fit perfectly in the base).
About Gaiam
Gaiam was created as a lifestyle company with the vision that, given a choice, people would choose a lifestyle that is healthy and life-enhancing, for themselves, their families, and the Earth. The Gaiam lifestyle is a vote for individual health as well as the future sustainability of the Earth's resources. Gaiam strives to provide customers with alternatives to traditional products by offering natural or healthy versions that compare with the style, quality, and price of conventional products.
Sports reviews of Gaiam Balance Ball Chair (Black)
Customer Review: Great Chair!
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
I purchased this chair because I have lower back pain. I've had it now for about 6 months and find that at the end of the day my back feels much better. I don't use the ball for working out, I only use it as an office chair.
It definitely takes a little while to get used to it. The first few days, my back was sore and I almost went back to my old chair. It was sore, but it didn't hurt. After about a week, I stopped noticing my back being sore. I'm pretty sure it is because my back had to build up the muscles to support my body. Which is exactly what I was hoping it would do. The chair doesn't allow you to lean on the back of a normal office type chair, therefore forcing you to use your back muscles.
It doesn't force you to have perfect posture, but without the ability to lean on a backrest, it reminds me throughout the day to sit up right. After a couple of months, I do it naturally now.
I realized how much the chair has helped with my back pain last week. One of my co-workers asked to try the chair out for a couple of days. My back hurt at the end of the day significantly more than it has in months. Pretty conclusive proof that this works for me.
Be warned, you'll get a lot of funny looks when people first see it. Even the UPS guy laughed at me while delivering it. I don't care! It makes me feel better.
The bottom line: Be prepared for a week or two of time to get used to it and build up the back muscles. I think afterward you'll thank yourself.
***UPDATE*** Almost 2 years now since I bought this chair and I still sit on it every day. Have not had lower back pain at the end of the day since a few weeks after I bought it. Still 5 stars for me!
Customer Review: Love at first seat
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
Ordered this for one of our teen kids because, while active, he does spend a significant amount of time on a chair, studying or using his laptop. A few weeks later, we noticed an improvement in his posture and - my subjective impression - his mood as well. Adjustment to the new way of sitting which he calls 'power sitting' was almost instant and he prefers it to his old office-style chair and to whatever it is he's sitting on at school.
Now, for the unexpected part, I think I'm going to order one for myself too. Not only my back feels 'in Heaven' while sitting on this thing but so does the part that comes in contact with the ball and, since you are sitting on 'air', it's incredibly comfortable - of course, you can inflate the ball to suit your preferences.
Other positives for this chair, besides it enforcing a 'true form' when sitting include:
- unusual but cool looks - it actually fits well in our kid's cool-looking room
- easy and quick to put together - minutes
- wide base makes it steady
- durable, or so it appears after a few weeks of use
- comes with its own pump which you can use to inflate you bike's tires too
- ball comes out easily and you can use it for balance ball workouts if you want
- price comparable to low-end office chairs
One not so positive note: it's a 'one size fits all' - can't adjust the height but it should be okay for most.
We are about to order a second and possibly a third chair at this time.
Customer Review: meets my expectations, but I wish I'd looked at others
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
I have been considering this purchase for a while, and decided to spring for it when the price dropped. I am a musician and am very conscious of body alignment -- I do yoga, Pilates and Alexander Technique to maintain my body for playing. My old desk chair was not allowing me to sit truly well, and this product does. Sitting on a ball is great by itself, but the wheeled base allows it to truly function as a desk chair -- for instance, to roll over a few inches towards the printer, or rotate around to the other part of my L-shaped desk. I don't miss the arms at all. I am usually typing or writing when sitting at my desk.
The chair is very comfortable and was very easy to assemble. You should know that the manufacturer cautions against leaning on the back rest, called the "support bar;" it is for "stability during the exercises." There is a booklet included that shows a series of exercises using the ball both on and off its roller base. There are locks on two of the casters for use in doing these exercises.
My caveat, which does not reflect on the quality of the product, is that the ball is too small for me to use off its base. I am 5'8", and use a 55 cm ball. I did not see the FitBall product, which uses the exact ball I like for exercise, and I probably would have purchased that if I had, so I could store my ball on the chair. I may yet; this chair is an acceptable height for my computer keyboard, but rather low for the other part of my desk.
Customer Review: Not much core workout, but GREAT for posture!
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
I've been using the ball chair for about 8 months now. I was having terrible back pain at work, and had trouble making it through a full 8-hour day at work.
The first couple of weeks took some getting used to--I had to find the right way to sit in it, and there was some slight discomfort as I started using good-posture back muscles that hadn't been well-employed for a while.
After about two weeks, though, I felt so much more comfortable in the chair, and in fact I have a lot of trouble in meetings where I have to sit in a regular office chair for an hour or two.
It's impossible to sit in this chair and not sit up straight. Or, at least, you'd have to work very hard.
The chair doesn't do as much in terms of core work as a regular balance ball. The wheeled base provides enough extra support that the body is not doing much work to keep itself up. If it's real core work you want, I'd recommend getting a big balance ball and just using that.
It's true that you can get a workout in the chair, but its not something you do while you're working; you have to stop and "do" the workout, then return to work. Which is great! But the chair won't give you amazing abs just by sitting in it.
But if it's better posture you're after, if you want to train yourself to sit straighter and get away from office-chair back pain, I can't recommend this enough.
Customer Review: Great product, assembly tip
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
These are fantastic...I have artificial joints, a bad back and am woefully out of shape. I post that primarily to encourage people in similar situations to try this. Massive improvement in posture after only a couple of weeks, (I was a forward leaner) the ball naturally engages your core so it becomes more stable, the longer you use the chair. If you are prone to soreness, use this for an hour or two at a time and get up and walk around periodically...be reasonable - you wouldn't try ANY new exercise, stretch or yoga position for 8 hours the first day, use the same logic with this. My employer (a chiropractor!) thought it was a great improvement, physically, and had the benefit of keeping my spine in a closer proximity to correct alignment.
A tip for assembly - the brake feature on the wheels is great, BUT put the brake feet on the BACK instead of the front...Otherwise you may naturally position your feet near the brake and lock it, which will be irritating if you get up and down a lot, or adjust positions frequently. By putting the brake feet on the back you can engage them easily without constantly doing it by accident.
And for those who suggest a ball alone, that does work well, but there is a weird bouncy scootch move that you constantly do with the ball to get it positioned correctly at a work station and an awkward rise and roll back to stand. The wheels allow for smooth positioning.