Your kid could be getting an education - and a core workout - all at once.
Teachers at schools around the country have opted to pull chairs out of their classrooms in favor of workout balls – those giant rubber blobs that are the bane of out-of-shape mothers everywhere. Turns out, they're keeping kids focused - and not just on keeping their butts centered.
In a study published last month in the Chronicle of Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education, a college professor who switched out chairs for workout balls says the balls improved students' focus and their attention. For young kids who need to get the wiggles out, the balls give them a chance to bounce their behinds, something your average chair can't.
Of course there are drawbacks. Critics say without relief for leaning back, kids are putting pressure on their tail bone all day long - and teachers can't well be expected to roam the aisles correcting kids' posture. And posture is a big issue with kids - backpacks on wheels started flying off shelves a few years back when parents got the warning that their kids had "backpack syndrome" from carting packs that were more than ten percent of their body weight.
But teachers aren't currently strolling the aisles telling kids to stop slumping in their seats either (who has time for that?), and I'd dare so most kids have horrible posture in your standard chair. At least with the ball, they develop core muscles which, in turn, strengthen the back. Come to think of it, maybe I need to do this to finally get the aching back left over from the little girl who loosened up my abdominal muscles.
Some schools are asking parents to chip in for the "seats" for their kids. Would you?
Image: MSNBC
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