Gaiam Classic Balance Ball Chair – Ergonomic Stability Chair for Desk & Office | Yoga Ball Seat with Base, Air Pump, & Exercise Guide | Improves Posture & Core Strength (300 lb Capacity)

I’ve wanted a balance ball chair ever since I read a few articles praising them on Lifehacker. I already owned a cheap balance-ball, but had no base or way to really stabilize the ball. After reading endless reviews and going through the questions/answers here on Amazon, I finally decided to bite the bullet and order the Gaiam Balance Ball Chair.In the box is one chair frame (disassembled), one 52cm balance ball (deflated), a hand pump (borderline useless) and a nice, well-illustrated booklet containing exercises/stretches to use with the chair.The chair itself is a cinch to assemble – the casters simply press into the base, then the back support clicks into the base and is held in place with 2 twist-in bolts. Finally, 4 small nuts hold on the wire ball support (a little wrench is provided). All in all, assembly takes under 5 minutes.The ball is a different story – the ball needs to be at room temperature before inflating. You only want to inflate the ball about 80%, then let it acclimate and stretch for about 24 hours. Gaiam provides a small hand pump, but it’s incredibly tedious an inefficient to use. I used a bicycle pump and inflated the ball to about 42 cm (about 16.5”), then left it sitting for 24 hours.Note: By 42cm, I don’t mean the circumference of the ball. I marked off 42cm from the wall, placed the ball against the wall, and inflated until the edge of the ball touched the 42cm mark on my tape measure. After acclimating, I followed Gaiam’s directions and inflated the ball fully to 52cm (about 20.5”). The ball, being fully inflated, needed some manipulating to fit into the chair frame, but nothing too difficult.Before I purchased the ball chair, my main concern about the chair was height – I am only 5’0” tall, and was afraid that the chair would leave me sitting too low. Turns out, the opposite was true – once the fully-inflated ball was in place, I was seated up very high, and my feet did not touch the floor. Gaiam’s instructions say to inflate the ball so that the thighs and shins should be at a 90° angle to the floor. If your hips are higher than your knees, deflate the ball. Conversely, if your hips are lower than your knees, you need to inflate the ball to find that ‘sweet spot’ for your height.I ended up deflating the ball until my feet were able to touch the floor – as a result, the ball was not as firm and had more ‘give’ to it, but the ball is still quite comfortable. I have to make slight adjustments to keep myself stabilized, which activates my core. I also have to sit up straighter instead of slouching or leaning forward (as us shorter people are prone to doing). The chair’s ‘back’ isn’t really meant as a support structure; per Gaiam’s instruction booklet, it’s strictly for stability during exercises.Work your way up to using a balance ball chair – I recommend ditching your office chair and going to the balance ball chair full-time. As you become more conscious of your posture and core, you’ll be utilizing muscles previously neglected. So, work your way up to the chair – I spent a few hours in the ball chair, then a few hours in my regular office chair until I felt comfortable going ‘full-time’ with the ball chair. I do not use the ball itself for any exercises, though I do perform some of the seated stretches from the included booklet.Now, my posture is so much better, my lower-back pain is near nonexistent, and I can definitely feel a difference in how my core feels. I also don’t experience the tailbone pain that I used to have after a long day of work.For under $80, you won’t find a better chair.

I switched from a crappy office chair to a ball for a couple of weeks, but I found it impossible to move around my desk space with any sort of convenience. Additionally, in order to reach my desk, I had to sit on a ball far too big for my frame, which gave me achy hips. This Gaiam Ball Chair is the perfect blend of a chair and a ball. The wheels work well on the flat carpet in my office, and I never feel unstable during the day. I can move from one end of my long desk to the other with no difficulty at all.There's an insert that warns you the ball will seem/feel too small for the chair when you first set it up. THIS IS TRUE. Don't panic; it will stretch out with a few days' time, just as the insert claims. I'm currently at 25 hours of the chair being set up, and the ball has already stretched and relaxed to become visibly bigger. I currently have it inflated to a point that's a bit too firm for my comfort, but I expect to be able to decrease the air pressure as the ball stretches a bit more in the next few days.My butt was sore after using it the first day, but the soreness is not lasting. This is great for anyone who is a wiggler, fidgeter, or otherwise restless at their desk. Set up took me all of 10 minutes (and that's with ball inflation) and was easy to understand. No tools needed (it comes with a tiny wrench and the air pump).**8 MONTH UPDATE** I've been using this chair 5 days a week since I bought it and it's amazing. Any soreness I had disappeared after a month. The ball has stretched to a great size now and totally looks like the photo. The height is good for my desk; just today, I added more air to the ball and I realized how much bigger it could get now! If you're on the fence about this, or if you just purchased it and you're feeling some buyer's remorse, stick with it! It's so worth the time.

I wish I had purchased this sooner. It is so comfortable and forces a better posture. I don't feel like I need to get up after sitting for 15 or 30 minutes, even though I should. The only down side is that is does need to be pumped up every so often but that's to be expected. The exercise sheet it comes with is great but some of the exercises shown are awkward to do with the chair back on, as shown. It takes less room than my other office chair as it can tuck in a bit better and has a smaller footprint.