A fitness ball, swiss ball or exercises ball, Pilates ball. They go under many various names, but are all essentially a large blown up ball that can be used at home to perform exercises on, or you can use one to sit on as a chair for home or in the office.

A great range of exercises can now be done on a Pilates exercise ball. There are many DVDs available that illustrate the wide range of tummy toning, back stretching exercises that you can do on a ball to add a bit of spark to your Pilates workout.

A Pilates exercise ball is also very beneficial for prenatal and postnatal exercises as it is gentle on the tummy muscles, but also helps strengthen them depending on what position you are in.