Getting enough exercise is a great challenge in today's work-driven world: there are just too many reports to finish, too many accounts to attend to, and too many deals to close. A day at the gym can be too demanding for the busy executive, and a few hours spent at the treadmill can be hell for anyone rushing after a thousand deadlines.

A greater challenge, moreover, is getting the proper exercise: every minute of the one or two hours spent at the gym should count, and every exercise should put your muscles in stronger, better shape.

The hard gym floor, however, can tax greatly on your back and the soles of your feet, as the impact of either hard wood or stone can rattle your bones or strain your muscles. One alternative is using exercise ball routines to keep fit.

By using an exercise ball, even as a chair in your office, you can engage in easy exercise ball routines to keep your body in good shape without having to spend hours on the stationary bike or aerobics class floor.

The use of an exercise ball does not only ease your body from the impact of a hard gym floor. It allows you to concentrate on stretching your muscles and addressing major muscle groups that would otherwise feel worn out and pained after long hours of routine aerobic exercises or machine-based workouts.

Exercise ball routines, moreover, allow you to address muscle groups that would otherwise be left out in other conventional exercise routines. In fact, there are exercise ball routines built around strengthening your upper and lower abdominals, as well as the muscles of your hard-to-reach, but delicate lower back.

Before you engage in exercise ball routines, however, you must consult with your gym trainer on exercise ball routines that are best suited for your body type and fitness goals.

It can be difficult to design exercise ball routines if you have scoliosis or frequent lower back pains, so you also have to consult with your orthopedist or chiropractor on how you can avoid damaging your spine.