bonniesayers's Full Review: Bally Total Fitness Exercise Ball
Many months ago I spotted the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball in a Spiegel catalog and opted to make the purchase. Although the price tag of $25.00 is a bit steep the enticement for me was the two week free coupon for Bally Total Fitness®. When the box arrived, I quickly ransacked it for the coupon so I could get more details on the offer and when it expired.
Once I learned that I could not go to the Hollywood location, but would have to visit the downtown Los Angeles office I lost my enthusiasm. Seems you can only go to the nearest Bally Total Fitness®, and I did not want to deal with one-way streets, parking and the employed sector downtown. It would be months later before I realized I had this box containing the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball. One day when the kids and I were bored I thought some active play with this ball would be in order. Little did I know that pumping it would be the only exercise we would have.
Included inside the box is a plastic bag that has a very small hand pump, a few other white pieces, a black stopper and a silver needle item. After contemplating how this gets done I took one of the white plastic things, and inserted it into the bottom opening on the pump and then the needed somehow was in the middle. This was placed inside the hole on the outer part of the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball. It takes awhile to hand pump this ball into a nice round shape. Now that the ball is finished stopping the hole up is another story. I tried the black stopper and that did not fit. The white plastic thing had a hole so once the pump was removed the air started coming out of the hole.
I let the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball deflate and tried one other time with a pump we have that made the pumping easier and no need for the added pieces to attach to the hole. Once again I tried all sorts of ways to close that hole, turned over the box trying to find a picture of the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball to get an idea of if the closure was white or black, but no such luck.
I thought about throwing it out since I thought it was hopeless, but left it in a corner back in the box for the moment. It just so happened that a few weeks ago when my seven-year old and I were at the mall visiting the Discovery Channel Store they had similar exercise balls so I picked up a box and headed over to a store employee and asked for some guidance. She explained to me that the thing I use to keep the pump in place in the hole is placed into the hole, just push it in there she said and it will close up.
In a matter of a few minutes my son was tossing around the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball. The white plastic piece is tightly secured and still in place. You can sit on this and move around or throw back and forth with your kids. All this time wasted but now we are moving around the house with the assistance of the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball.
Also included besides the coupon was a wall chart for exercises, but I misplaced that as well as the coupon. For demonstrations on which exercises to use the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball, just click on the view details here and then the manufacturer’s website link takes you directly to a page that shows three items for exercise use. Click on the photo of the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball and the drop-down menu has lots of moves to emulate.
Torso Curl and Knee Extension are too advanced for me with only the hip extension and leg curl I am presently comfortable with. Actually just sitting on the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball is a form of relaxation and exercising for me without the sweat. For my youngest son the Occupational Therapist at school brings one of those bouncy balls with the handle for my son to use and they sit and jump on it. This gives him some proprioceptive and vestibular input and easy to adapt those moves to the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball.
We are able to throw the ball around in the kitchen and living room with ease. The vibrant red color is appealing and adds to the energy level, at least for me. There is the white logo in the middle of the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball. I like using my back on the ball instead of my front side and find it gets out the kinks in my back. There is a side lying side bend that I know I will not try because it just does not look very easy or comfortable.
The Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball targets several muscle areas for tightening and toning. I have seen some magazines showcasing this sort of exercise ball to use in the home for a workout, for both advanced and beginners alike. The Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball was made in Taiwan. Before beginning any time of exercise program a consult with your Physician is in order. I mentioned at my annual physical in April that I was seeking out exercise venues to get in shape.
There is even a notation on the box that the Surgeon General recommends thirty minutes a day of moderate physical activity, five days of the week. In the November issue of Self magazine, there is an article about White House staffers using the gym all hours of the day and night. This is due in part to the encouragement of the President. There are also tips from four members of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Although the temperatures have been consistently in the eighty-degree area for the past week and continuing through this week, it is winter in other regions. For those that cannot get outside in the cold weather or are stuck due to weather conditions, the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball would be perfect for some exercise indoors that can be fun. Also the benefit of using this with the kids tossing the ball around gets everyone active. This is not overly large that it will take up room, but the drawback is you would have to pull out the white plastic plug to deflate the Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball. The color sure livens up a room and makes for a good chair to sit on and move about the floor when watching television.
The Bally Total Fitness® Exercise Ball inflates to 22 inches. There is no mention of a weight limit on this, but my son is able to sit on this with me and bounce around, so it can withstand some weight. I am just a beginner trying to find ways that are easy to workout and can include my children in some activities as well. I figured that if I was too lazy for the ball that at least my kids would get some enjoyment out of it.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.