Swiss balls

I've never got on very well with swiss balls.

I don't know why it is, maybe they think they're technologically advanced and therefore exist only to annoy me?

Back in the DB days (before dog) when I used to go to the gym regularly to stay in shape (a feat somehow achieved now by walking the dog and by running (also with said dog)) I used to get my gym programme changed regularly by one of the cute little gym bunnies who's job it is to make sure that everyone is doing everything properly and therefore wont sue the gym when they put their back out. I would get bored with a gym routine quite quickly, but even more quickly if the gym bunny had put the swiss ball into the programme for stomach exercises.

I get the point of the wobbly nature of the ball, it's supposed to make you use your core muscles so that you don't fall off the damn thing, so why do I always wobble like a weeble and then inevitably fall off? Do I not have any core muscles? Or do they just not work? It is a clever idea, you use one set of muscles just to stay in the position required and then work another set of muscles while you do whatever exercise you're supposed to - unless of course the ball slips sideways and deposits you on your arse on the floor....it's happened so many times to me.

I thought I'd put the swiss ball behind me, in the gym, but no.

This week I've started a pilates class here and the teacher decided to make us use the BALL. Rebecca struggled from the outset as she really needed a smaller ball, but they'd all been bagged by the short arsed German fraus who were there before us (damn the Germans and their punctuality) so Rebecca had to put up with only being able to balance her tippy toes on the floor (at least then she had an excuse for falling off the ball)

The session proceded with the majority of the exercises being done either sitting on the ball, lying over it (both front and back) or with legs balanced precariously on it, I say precariously because we were lying on our backs, legs outstretched with just our heels resting on the ball, fine (just) and then she made us lift a leg off and to the side and then alternate with the other leg...there were many sniggers from mine and Rebecca's mats as our balls kept pinging away from us!

The lady who takes the class is very nice and at the end of it she asked us all how we found it, if this were a class in England then 1 of 2 things would happen;

1. the question wouldn't be asked
2. everyone would smile politely and say it had been 'fine, thankyou' & exit bitching about it under their breath.

Here? Everyone is frank and to the point, the woman who'd had problems with the class last week comlpained that she still had problems, another woman stated that she couldn't do this or this because it gave her a headache and so on, I merely restrained myself to joking that I don't like the swiss ball.

I'm glad I'd managed to position myself where I could watch the teacher's every move though, as I couldn't understand half of what she was saying!!

She promises next week, no balls.