The Workout Balance Board with a Twist, As Seen on TV

Simple and fun! My kids even love it. This is great for working on balance and cardio. It is very sturdy. Easy to use on most surfaces, but can be tricky on hard floor if you aren’t great on it. Stores almost anywhere.

I have come to know my self well enough to realize that in order to more consistently get exercise I needed something simple that I could do at home in front of the TV. My knees are arthritic and I have plantar fasciitis in one foot. The twisting motion of the Simply Fit Board looked like a good, low impact option.Within a few days of receiving my board, I had established a new routine of hitting the daily exercise and movement goals set by my AppleWatch. Part of my commute is by bicycle, but that doesn't give me enough cardio. Another ten or fifteen minutes on the Fit Board in the evening fills in the gap.Balancing on the board takes some practice, which I regard as for the better -- with my tricky knees, better balance is a great thing. As long as I keep my knees flexed, the twisting motion does not bother the joints. And because the stance is stationary -- no stepping -- my heel and foot are not aggravated. I was absolutely thrilled when, after two weeks of regular use I had a doctor's visit and discovered that I'd lost five pounds (the previous visit had been before the holidays, so I know the weight loss hadn't happened before the arrival of the board in my life in January).The DVD provides several approximately ten minute guided workouts ranging from easy to challenging. It also has basic instructions and shows a number of exercises you can do. A lot of the tough stuff is based on planks (as in the Yoga pose), but the board can add a twist -- literally. You will need room to do the planks and bridges, but if you only have a little space you can still get a workout from the twisting and other standing exercises. I did go out and get hand weights, which add to the affect of the twisting. The next addition to my Fit Board arsenal will be a mat -- I'm starting to wear a hole in the rug.

After a few weeks I still move forward but not as bad as when I started. My balance is getting much better both on the board and off. It is a great aerobic exercise and will increase your heat rate for a good calorie burn.When starting out and maybe even once you get the hang of it be sure to get on the board and use it where there is something nearby to grab onto if you lose your balance. I have a small area rug which I use and move to wherever I decide to workout using my board. I found that when first starting out and sometimes after a long workout I tend to lose my balance every now and then and have to grab onto the countertop or whatever is nearby.It would be very easy to fall off of and be seriously injured if nothing nearby to grab onto and prevent you from falling! I see this as being the biggest problem to using the simply fit board but one which is easily overcome. Another thing to keep in mind is the board does act differently depending on the surface you use it on. This may sound like a no brainer but still feel it deserves to be said as the difference can be enough to cause you to lose balance and fall off. For instance on my living room rug without the area rug in use it takes a lot of effort to get a full twisting movement going, where as on the tiled kitchen floor it's so easy as to be dangerous with a high possibility of falling off.I'm sure if I used it mostly on the tile or other smooth surface it would be very easy to get used to and very safe, but after becoming used to the area rug I prefer the amount of effort and energy expended to use the board.The video has exercises and routines using hand weights which work well, but keep in mind if you started with no weights you may have to get used to balancing all over again.I really do enjoy using the simply fit board and have created my own personal workout routine using the board, hand weights, resistance bands and some walking. All indoors in a small apt. with the board being instrumental in getting a good aerobic movement to increase my heart rate for a meaningful workout. I have had chronic pain issues for years and recently started having knee issues which affected my balance in some cases while out walking. So there are not many options out there that actually will work for me without doing more harm than good.But I have found this board to be well worth the cost and the effort it takes to get the hang of it and use it. I use it daily even if only a few minutes at a time on real bad pain days and have found it is helping me a lot with the balance issues and is definitely helping me lose weight and build muscle as well as generally feeling better do to the ability to get in a decent workout whenever I feel up to it and without leaving home or paying for a gym membership.ONLY 4 STARS BECAUSE IT WASN'T AS EASY AS IT LOOKS AND THE MAKE IT SOUND.For me at least it did take some time and effort as well as a need to grab onto things to avoid falling while I got the hang of it and I can see where others could very well have the same issues.

I like the idea of this board. It at least gets you up off the couch and moving and is a low impact workout for the most part. There are some workout routines included in the DVD and they have a good variety of exercises and innovative ways to use the board. They are broken up into what are supposed to be 10 minute sessions each. However, not all are 10 minutes, they fall a minute or 2 short even as she is saying you have just done 10 minutes of exercise. She also has a lot of trouble counting reps and loses her place quite often. While she seems to know how to use the board quite well, many of the people she surrounds herself with seem to have only just stepped on the board for the first time and are sometimes quite distracting to watch as they try to keep up. Overall, a good tool to have for indoor excercise that is not the same old routine if you want a break from using your legs extensively. Good balance training and core strengthening. Workout DVD needs improving, but you can see the ideas and make your own routines. Quite enjoyable.