By Maureen Nakatudde

WHAT about burning a few calories this festive season? There is going to be a lot of partying and feasting and with it comes extra weight that has to be shed off. Did you know that with just the right kind of ball you can not only keep in shape, but also accomplish many other things?

Are you a parent who wants to have fun with your children? Well, with the ball, you can hit two birds with one stone. Balls can be a great way of bonding with the children through football. As you play with them, you will be losing more calories, while improving your health through laughter.

Below, Rosebell Birungi, a fitness trainer at Club 5, Makerere University, gives tips on how one can do various exercises with a ball.

Get into push ups with your thighs on the ball, while moving your hand up and down. You can do up to 20 push-ups.

Lift one leg off the ball and do 10 push-ups.

Sit down and lift the ball up and down, while your knees are bent. This helps tone the stomach.

Lie on the ball and stretch the back. Sit on the ball and do tummy exercises.
Synthetic balls for young ones cost between sh5,000 and sh20,000, depending on the size, while those for adults range from sh25,000 to sh65,000.

Gurbir Singh, an attendant at Euro Asia Sports Centre in Kampala, says original leather balls for adults cost between sh47,000 and sh150,000, while those for children range from sh25,000 to sh35,000.

Balls of all sizes can be got from EuroAsia, Asiatic Sports Centre, Katumwa Sports Centre and other shops and supermarkets in Kampala that sell sports equipment.

However, Singh warns: “Buy from genuine dealers because there are many fakes on the market.”