Exercise Ball & Travel
Exercise balls, or stability balls, are great travel companions because they allow you to do a wide variety of exercise while traveling. Simply deflate the ball, pack it in your bag and bring a pump to pump it back up while traveling.
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Function
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Exercise balls are used to perform a wide variety of exercises. They are particularly effective at targeting your core muscles, which are the muscles that make up your stomach, abdominal and lower back.
Size
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Exercise balls come in a variety of different sizes. The standard sizes of most exercise balls are either 45, 55, 65, 75 or 85 centimeters in diameter. For traveling purposes, it may be best to purchase a smaller or mid-sized ball, which takes up less space in a suitcase.
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Using the Ball
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Most exercise balls come with a pump you can use to inflate and deflate the ball. When traveling, deflate the ball by sticking the valve in to let the air out. Scrunch the ball together to fit it into your suitcase. To pump it back up, insert the valve and pump the ball up by stepping on the pump with your foot.
Exercises: Upper Body
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Exercise balls offer many different variations of upper body exercises you can do while traveling. Perform pushups by getting into a standard pushup position with both hands on the floor and your legs on the ball. Lower your body and push yourself back up, keeping your legs straight. The plank is one of the most effective core exercises. To do a plank, get into a pushup position and hold this position for as long as possible.
Exercises: Lower Body
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Squats are one of the best all-around exercises, working multiple muscle groups, and can be performed in any small space, including a hotel room while traveling. Place the exercise ball against the wall and rest your lower back against the ball. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground then raise your body back up. Repeat for 10 repetitions.
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References
- Photo Credit woman leaning on exercise ball image by Ken Hurst from Fotolia.com
