The SwissBall: a tool for physical and mental rehabilitation
Would the ball become an educational tool to fight against school inattention, physical and mental agitation, overweight? It is in Saint-Denis (Réunion), at the Montgaillard college that the gym-ball has just made its appearance.
Admittedly, we already knew the Pilates ball as a tool for improving physical condition… it appears in the school environment! Indeed, at Collège Montgaillard, a relay class serves as a “test class” to help students improve their concentration and awareness of their deep muscles. College students are thus stabilized from every point of view.
A dynamic way to bring focus
Montgaillard was able to show real initiative by introducing the SwissBall in the middle school relay class. The chairs of 10 middle school students have been replaced by these large flexible plastic balls since October 2013. These are therefore “real” gym balls that are used in the classroom and the “guinea pig” students are delighted. Everyone wants to take advantage of this fun ball, if only to test this new educational tool. Besides, the history-geography teacher uses one systematically in place of his office chair. He had back pain!
For students, the use of the SwissBall has only benefits: it is stress-relieving, solicits the deepest abdominals such as the transverse and also the back. It requires attention, helps concentration and used in regular doses, contributes to the proper functioning of the body/mind relationship. The students thus feel the physical effort without suffering, in peace and awareness. In addition, they fidget much less than on a normal chair which, in the long run, hurts the buttocks. It is therefore a way of channeling the energy of the pupils, of helping them to hang on to school in a different way.
The principle of operation of the SwissBall
With a diameter of approximately 55 to 75 cm, this gym ball allows the individual when he sits on it to trigger micro contractions of the deepest muscles in order to ensure the stability of the body. For this, unconsciously, the mind participates in bodily balance.
The invention of the Swiss ball dates back to the 1960s when Suzanne Klein Vogelbach, a Swiss therapist oriented towards orthopedic disorders, used it for neuromuscular purposes to improve, in her patients, their coordination. Subsequently, Pilates teachers picked it up to improve posture, abdominal tone, deep back muscles and breathing.
Indeed, physiologically, breathing is improved because the back is straightened , the rib cage opens and the diaphragm becomes more flexible. When we know that the latter is the body’s main inspiration muscle… we understand all the possible benefits of using the Pilates ball in schools or elsewhere. Currently, top athletes use it for their training. Its regular use makes it possible to acquire strength, flexibility, coordination, tonicity and zenitude. Thus, before being an educational tool, the SwissBall was part of the postural corrective equipment to improve deep muscles and respiratory movements.
A daily tool?
By reading these few lines it may come to mind that this tool is definitely a good alternative to lack of activity. It is at least a good start to any physical preparation. For overweight people, the SwissBall is to be used as a “normal” person who is new to the subject would use it.
So why not use this educational experience and use this gym ball every day at home. Do you watch TV? Think SwissBall. Are you in front of your computer? Swiss Ball again! No side effects to fear. This gym ball is perfect for suggesting effort.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.