Improving your balance is the fundamental purpose of balance boards. But what if I told you that there are many other advantages and some disadvantages to wobble boards? This article guides you through the essential balance board pros and cons that you need to know about!
If you’re in a hurry, here is a site I recommended for office equipment with lifetime guarantee!
Using a balance board can burn more calories, contribute to injury prevention, and strengthen your overall stability. Source
Balance board pros and cons
Advantages of balance boards
1. Balance boards strengthen core muscles
Most people spend 13 hours of their day in a sedentary position. This constant sitting posture encourages muscle atrophy or wasting away. When standing on a balance board, your muscles are forced to work to keep you in an upright posture.
This leads to strengthening of your core muscles which is essential to supporting your weight throughout the day.
Standing will be more beneficial than sitting to strengthen your muscles. However, balance boards are even better again!
2. Balance boards improves posture
When you’re in a seated posture, your body is more susceptible to slouching and adopting poor postures. However, with a balance board, you are forced to stand in a more neutral posture.
The effects of adopting a poor posture include back pain, joint degeneration, spinal curvatures and rounded shoulders.
3. Balance boards are budget-friendly
Balance boards have a price range between $14.12 – $269. This makes them an affordable entry option for practically any budget.
Plus, if you plan to share it with other, you could split the cost if you were interested in purchasing one of the more lavish or expensive balance boards!
4. Balance boards increase alertness and focus
It’s easy to get sluggish when you’re sitting on a chair. But when you’re standing on a balance board, you won’t get away with that.
By performing these regular micro movements on a balance board, your body will feel more alert.
You’ll feel even more alert on a balance board than just using a standing desk alone.
Studies have shown that balance boards help to improve coordination, eye control and concentration.
5. Balance boards can be used by all ages
You might be under the illusion that balance boards are only for teenagers or adults. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, balance boards are often endorsed for toddlers from 18 months and upwards.
Furthermore, balance boards have also been proven effective at preventing injury and also for helping with fall prevention in elderly people.
This essentially means that if you buy a balance board for your home, it could be used by everyone in the house!
6. Balance boards come in different styles
Probably one of the biggest challenges you’ll have when picking a balance board is the type that you want and what balance board would best suit you. Fortunately, you have several types to choose from.
There are 4 main types of balance boards:
- Rocker balance boards
- Roller balance boards
- Wobble balance boards
- Round wobble balance boards
These come in different shapes, styles, colors and even different materials. So, there’s bound to be one that suits your needs.
7. Balance boards make standing more fun
Whether you’re using a balance board at a standing desk or purely for exercise and training purposes, they are rather entertaining to use.
Balance boards are more challenging and fun than just standing alone.
Plus, they offer you another type of stance to adopt other than purely standing at a sit-stand desk.
If you don’t own a standing desk, you could use them while doing other activities, whether it’s:
- Watching TV
- Listening to music
- Chatting with people
You could even compete with other friends or family to see who’s better at it.
Tip: Make sure that your standing desk can accommodate your height while on a balance board.
8. Balance boards come in various difficulty levels
The thought of a balance board might be daunting, especially if you have poor balance, are prone to injury or have never used one before. Conversely, you might already own a balance board a feel like you need more of a challenge.
Either way, there’s sure to be a balance board to suit your difficulty level.
Using the below table, you can instantly decide which type of balance board is suited to your needs.
| Type of balance board | Balance board difficulty level |
| Rocker balance boards | Easy |
| Roller balance boards | Hard |
| Wobble balance boards | Medium |
| Round wobble balance boards | Medium |
Disadvantages of balance boards
1. Balance boards can cause injury
Balance boards introduce instability into your posture to strengthen and improve your posture and balance. But with that instability comes a risk of falling and injury.
In general, balance boards are considered safe to use, provided you use them properly.
The risk of injury is more likely if you select a balance board that is too advanced for your capabilities.
Therefore, when choosing a balance board, take this into consideration along with learning how to properly use a balance board.
Related: Balance board vs anti-fatigue mat – cheat sheet included
2. Balance boards can be difficult to use
Balance boards are not the easiest item to use, particularly if you:
- have poor stability
- are of a nervous disposition
- suffer from injuries
Consequently, this can make them more daunting and difficult to use. Furthermore, if you choose one that’s too advanced for your capabilities, this will significantly add to the challenge.
However, that can be avoided by opting for the hybrid balance boards which allow you to alternate between difficulty levels.
Hybrid balance boards are excellent for people starting out or if you are sharing your balance board with others.
With these balance boards, there’s a gentle level of movement at their easiest level, which you’ll barely notice. But this still has enough movement to benefit your body!
Alternatively, you could consider an anti-fatigue mat, some of which have a little instability added in.
Conclusion
As you can see, the advantages of balance boards strongly outnumber the disadvantages of balance boards. But if you need more information on balance boards, I have written some other articles that are worth a read.
Here are some other useful articles I wrote that you should go check out:
- Balance board vs anti-fatigue mat – cheat sheet included
- How much do balance boards cost? Examples included
- Balance board FAQs – Must know facts
- How to clean a balance board? 21 do’s & don’ts
- How Much Do Balance Boards Weigh? – 20 Popular Examples!
Recommended products:
