And since it’s winter and I’ve noticed my belly creeping slowly over my pants, I figure I better get back to getting into shape. Yes, if you know me you’re snickering, I am a wee bit of a lass but creeping bellies don’t look good on anyone and may even be worse on small people.

During one of my crazy get in shape phases I purchased an exercise ball at Walmart. If I remember correctly it cost me around $25.00 including the pump and has been durable enough to withstand begin kicked and dribbled by a group of small children. One of the main things I learned at the gym is that almost every exercise for almost every muscle of your body can be worked with an exercise ball.

Here are some examples of exercises to try with an exercise ball:

My Favorite Crunches: Okay, no one really has favorite crunches. We hate them, but these crunches don’t kill your neck and are so effective you can feel your abs tightening up immediately.

1. Position the ball near a wall.
2. Lean back onto the ball with your feet parked up to a wall and bent slightly.
3. With arms behind your neck or across your chest crunch up and down like regular situps.

I think these crunches are also more effective because you have to balance on the ball at the same time. It takes a second to get used to and you may fall off a couple times, but you’ll get the hang of it pretty quick. I was also told that it’s still okay to put your hands behind your neck or head as long as you aren’t pulling your neck or head up. You’ll feel it in your abs if you’re doing it right.

My Favorite Push Ups: Again, push ups aren’t a favorite anything, but I like these better than the standard ones.

1. Place the ball on a wall in front of your chest.
2. Put your hands on the ball and push back.
3. Go forward with your arms and repeat in the push up motion.

As with the sit ups, it’ll take a second to get used to balancing the ball on the wall. My first tries I thought I was going to slip and smash my face into the wall as the ball rolled away, but it didn’t ever end that tragically.

So for a one time cost of $25.00 you can easily work out your abs and arms. Some exercise balls also come with DVDs and their own workouts. Even with the health insurance bonus for attending a gym, the exercise ball is going to be cheaper.

My next post will cover other cheap ways to work out and get into shape, so stay tuned…and get working on those abs!