I first bought a Swiss Ball when I was pregnant with my Son a few years ago, however I managed to lose it. My midwife recommended that I use a Swiss Ball with my recent pregnancy as our baby was facing 'back to back', so I didn't want a ball which was too expensive as I wasn't sure of how much use it would get following the birth.

I purchased the Swiss Ball from Argos and it was part of their 'Value' range costing a mere £4.99 for a 55cm ball. I was surprised to find that there was also a pump in the packaging, plus an exercise instruction sheet. If you have a look through the Argos catalogue the Swiss Balls usually range in price from £12-£24 and it is normally those that are more expensive which come with a pump, so couldn't believe that for £4.99 the Argos Value Swiss Ball contained a pump.

The packaging is simply a clear plastic bag which contains the deflated ball, pump, two valves (one valve is a spare) and an instruction sheet. The Swiss Ball is White in colour (but not clear) and has ribbing around it so that it's easy to grip with your arms and legs when undertaking the exercises. The Swiss Ball can be used to tone your stomach muscles, arms and legs. Even if you have not used one of these before, the instruction sheet is simple to follow and contains pictures to show you how to do a range of exercises correctly.

To start, you need to inflate the ball which was relatively quick and took around 5 minutes. The nozzle is inserted into the pump and you use the foot pump to inflate. The pump is very light, so you will need to pump with your foot continuously otherwise the pump turns on it's side. The nozzle did come out of the valve a few times and deflated a little, so I just held it in place with my hand.

Once I pumped up the ball I had to use a tape measure as it states that the ball should not be inflated over 55 cm. To me it looked a little crinkled, but it measured 60cm, so I stopped inflating it in case it burst.

I find that the Swiss Ball is the perfect size for my weight which is 9st and height 5ft 4inch. This would not be suitable for someone who is taller, as you may end up sitting with your knees up to your chin. When I was pregnant I used to sit and bounce on the ball for around 2 hours in the evening and found that I would only need to pump up the ball to keep it fully inflated every 2 weeks or so. Maximum weight for the Swiss Ball is 19st 10lbs (125kg).

The main disadvantage of a Swiss Ball is storage. I don't like clutter so keep the ball in the spare bedroom as I can't bear to have it sitting in the living room when not in use. You could of course deflate the ball when not in use, but I find it too much hassle to do this.

Overall, I recommend purchasing the Argos Value Swiss Ball and give it 4 stars. Obviously as it only cost £4.99 the quality isn't fantastic as it looks crinkled but for the price I have not had any problems with it and it does the job. It loses a star from me only because the pump is a little bit on the cheap side and too light, however it works well.

For further information, please visit: www.argos.co.uk

Thanks for reading xx
© sweetdaisy 2012