After years of doing sit-ups every night before bed, I was pretty certain I could hold my own in any ab challenge. I was wrong. I made this discovery after a run-in with a large stability ball at my gym. I thought I might as well give it a try, and although I only managed a few measly crunches, I could hardly laugh the next day. I can honestly say that doing my crunches on the stability ball helped me discover muscles I never knew I had.

A stability ball adds something to your workout that regular crunches or sit-ups can't -- instability. You need to use all your core muscles to help balance on this non-flat surface, which is why it offers such a great workout. It can be used to tone your abs, thighs or arms, and it can also be used as a posture-perfecting chair for your home office. And it's not that expensive either, and trust me, it's a worthwhile investment.

Click here to see examples of great workouts you can do with a stability ball, and tell us in the comments how you get on the ball.

Call them what you want -- Stability Balls, Swiss Balls, Exercise Balls, Physio Ball, etc. -- these orbs are a great compliment to an exercise routine, especially when it comes to ab work.

There are dozens of abdominal/core exercises you can perform using a Swiss Ball (I'll stick to this name, since it's what I regularly refer to it as). Among the more popular moves is the crunch, which is a good thing since this exercise, when done on the ball, works both the rectus abdominis (front abs) and the obliques (side ab muscles). However, to really take advantage of this movement, it's best to do two things: 1) Keep your feet somewhat close together, and 2) Place the ball under the lower portion of your back.

The first suggestion, keeping your feet close together (but not touching. Shoulder width is fine), will force you to really push your core muscles, otherwise you'll tip over. As for the second suggestion, Japanese researchers found that placing the ball under your lower back (as opposed to being under the upper portion of your back) causes greater stimulation to your abdominal muscles.

Just a few tips I thought I'd pass along. If you have any of your own that you feel are worth sharing, please be my guest in the comments section.

My physical therapist tossed me a free stability ball when they hit the market years ago. Later that day I left it in the front yard -- for a second -- and the wind blew it away. Never found it. And the few times I've tried a stability ball, I tweaked my lower back (old injury). Maybe these ominous signs mean I'm relegated to a variety of crunches on the floor for the rest of my fitness life.

Too bad -- a study by researchers at Occidental College in LA found a person flexes 24 to 38 percent more abdominal muscle when performing crunches on a stability ball. Participants crunched away with electromyographic gear measuring abdominal muscle activity, which registered heightened activity in upper/lower abs and those sexy obliques.

I'm off to the gym in an hour and a half for a pre-dinner cardio/strength training blitz. With a 24 to 38 percent boost in ab activation, I will try leaning back on that stability ball one more time. Picture from www.resistaball.com

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Ever wonder what the country's top trainers are doing to help their clients get awesomely fit? Wonder no more. Women's Health introduces you to ten personal trainers using the latest in equipment in innovative ways to create a balanced workout that will give you an edge. Strengthen your core with a one-legged stability ball push-up, improve your agility with a mogul jump, or energize yourself with some deep squats.

My favorite, though, are the tips for improving your running routine. If you want to lose weight, an Ironman triathlete recommends spending at least 15 minutes of your 30 minute run at your "tempo" pace, or at your anaerobic threshold. If you want to run faster, he has a plan for stacking those intervals that will help you pick up your pace.

These are all good tips...what's your favorite signature move?

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Here's a good case for splurging on your exercise ball: 40-year-old Adam Dunayer was severely injured when the stability ball he was lying on suddenly burst. Adam had a 60-lb weight in each had and was preparing to do a bench press when the ball broke; he hit the ground elbows-first and ended up breaking both of his arms. Now he's got long scars on each arm and has to undergo painful physical therapy to re-learn how to do simple, everyday tasks like opening a bottle.

According to fitness equipment experts, it's natural for exercise balls to wear out over time. But that doesn't mean you should let this happen to you. When you buy a ball for your home, make sure you buy a quality anti-burst one, and replace it after a few years. Watch this video for more tips.

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Do you own a stability ball? Or do you use one regularly as part of your workout? If you answered no, then you're definitely in the minority. Those big bouncy stability balls are a staple of fitness these days -- in gyms, homes and even some offices. They're the focal point of many workouts and fitness classes, and if you've ever used one, you know why -- even doing a simple crunch seems to reveal muscles in your abs that you never knew you had the next day.

I've been working out with a stability ball at the gym for a number of year now. I pretty much stick to working my abs when I'm using the ball, but there are other body parts to can work out with the help of your ball. And if gyms aren't your thing, get one for your home. They're relatively inexpensive and though they take up a bit of room when inflated, they have many uses -- try yours out as a chair.

Here are some great ways to put the stability ball to work for you:

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New and novel fitness gadgets come and go, but the stability ball -- also known as a Swiss ball or fitball -- has earned a great reputation in fitness centers and home gyms everywhere. Adding a stability ball to your strength training routine can help you build balance and build upper body and abdominal strength. Not only that, the ball is inexpensive and easy to find, and it's a pretty low-tech piece of a equipment that's easy to learn how to use. After you choose one that's correctly sized, check out these exercises to get you started on your new fitness toy. It won't be long before you see results!

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I remember when I first heard about fitballs and stability balls I thought they looked both hilarious and fun, and so it was great that they had such sound principles behind them. Today you can find stability balls everywhere, along with every kind of workout you can imagine. They're great for strengthening your core, improving balance, and toning pretty much everything, but in order to get the most out of your efforts you should make sure you're doing all the moves and using everything correctly -- even down to having the right sized ball.

eDiets has a handy chart for figuring out what size stability ball will work best for you based on your height (or just sit on it and if your thighs are parallel to the floor it's perfect), plus they've listed some good basic stability ball moves complete with animated pictures.

So if you're not already, get on the ball! And have fun (try not to roll off!)

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Back in the days when I was single, without children, and employed full-time, I almost always had a gym membership. Whether it was the small women-only gym in my home town, the bigger corporate gym near my apartment in the city, or the community center that I passed on my commute to work, I always had somewhere to go to burn off that extra energy. But with my schedule, responsibilities, and budget today, a gym membership is out of the question. So my workouts take place either in my home or on the streets and sidewalks surrounding it. Sometimes I miss those days of putting on my headphones and losing myself in 45 minutes on the elliptical machine, but exercising at home has its perks too.

If exercising at home suits you, here are some excellent tips on how to create your own home gym. Whether you want to go small (think a jump rope, stability ball, and some dumbbells) or large (like a treadmill and a Bowflex machine), there are a lot of different options for creating a workout space with all the materials you need to reach your goals. One thing I'd add to the list would be videos or DVDs, especially for beginners who might not yet have "all the right moves."

It doesn't matter where you exercise, just that you do it. Finding a time, a place, and a routine that fits your lifestyle will help ensure that you stick with your program for good.

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Exercise balls, or stability balls, have been around for awhile but many people don't know what to do with them. The benefit of working out on a stability ball versus a weight-bench is the extra energy and muscles your body uses to keep still because the ball wants to roll around (with you on it, wee!). It's up to your core muscles to keep you balanced and stabilized, and therefore what was just for the upper-body becomes a whole-body exercise.

Good news for beginners -- stability balls are adjustable to difficulty level by how much you inflate them. If you're worried about rolling off and landing awkwardly on the floor, simply under-inflate your ball to a level that's more comfortable. Then you can add more air as you progress week by week.

Chris Freytag, with Prevention magazine, has created a stability ball workout adjustable from beginner to veteran, as well as some general pointers for people just getting started.

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