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The idea of exercising and smiling go together about as well as the idea of eating coconut cream pie with soy sauce or at least they always have for me. Always a proponent of walking or bike riding instead of driving, I found that to be all the exercise I needed until I turned 40 and my body became traitorously out of control. The weight gain made walking and cycling somewhat less enjoyable. It was quicker to drive, easier for my old, aching legs, and the pounds jumped on quicker than I had ever imagined possible. Worse yet, they seemed to have taken up permanent residence on nearly every part of my anatomy, with no plans of moving on.

Time to do something drastic, or learn to live with this new body (which previously belonging to a hippo-mommy). And it wasn't just the weight it was all the things I used to do easily that I couldn't manage keeping up with my grandchildren or jogging with my sons. I seemed to have become a Weeble, except that sometimes when I wobble, I nearly fall down.

Now, here's the problem. Not only do I have all this extra flab to contend with (and who wants to do jumping jacks when the belly-slap it creates scares the dog?), but I'm older now than I've ever been in my whole life. I'm not sure I can try something new and difficult. So I need an easy, effective, enjoyable way to loose weight.

Believe it or not, there is one.

It's a ball. Not a football or a basketball, which I'm sure would help me tone up, increase my strength, balance and steadiness, too, but I might get crunched playing those games. And I'm pretty sure I would look like an idiot. No, this ball is an exercise ball, or stability ball.

You've seen them those great big balls sold not in the toy section of the superstores, but in the sports area. I've been curious, and now I'm soon-to-be hooked.

The stability ball, originally used in physical therapy and orthopedic medicine, has become mainstream exercise equipment. It can be used in combination with other apparatus (such as bands) or alone. They are heavy-duty, inflatable balls which can hold up to 700 pounds. They take exercise off the floor, and are particularly effective in abdominal and back exercises. And, perhaps more importantly, they're fun to use so they'll GET used.

The more I discover about exercise balls, the more I like about them. The balls promote abdominal and back muscle strength. When these stabilizer muscles fall into disuse and become uncoordinated, balance for the entire body is off (hence, the Weebles effect

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