The Hawaii Chair infomercials have floating around YouTube for some time now, and Ellen even tried it out on her show (mainly for entertainment purposes), but if you haven’t come across this product yet, it “combines the ancient art of the Hula of the Hawaiians with an easy-to-use, fun exercise machine”. I’ve gotten a few questions from clients who have seen it advertised over the past year and are curious about the validity of the product because it may seem like just another fitness gimmick, but could there be a need for this type of workout equipment?
The Hawaii Chair is a chair with arms and a rotating seat that moves upper body in a circular motion and claims to work your waist, thighs, and buttocks by emulating the Hula dance. The infomercial is available HERE and shows numerous uses in different scenarios.
If this product really does what it claims to do, then I believe that it could be beneficial to elderly or disabled people that are unable to stand or do upright exercises. The Hawaii Chair helps with blood circulation and strengthens your heart through cardiovascular exercise. It is even supposed to help the digestive tract function, which may also aid elderly individuals, or anyone who may need help with digestion.
For these special populations, the Hawaii Chair may be very useful and advantageous. However, for those without special needs, this chair may not be anything more than an excuse to not take the time or energy to do actual physical activity. The infomercial claims that you can work out with the Hawaii Chair “when working, watching TV, reading, or spending time with the family”. I believe that if you really want to get the most out of working out, you need to take time for yourself and focus on what you’re doing and what you want to accomplish. From the looks of the examples in the infomercial, it doesn’t seem extremely easy to work at a desk or read while moving in a circular motion in your chair. Fitness-wise, it gives the impression that even though the chair is on and moving, the people in the advertisement are focusing on the task at hand and not concerned with working out and seem to be getting little or no benefit from the exercise.
I can’t say from personal experience that the Hawaii Chair is not effective and doesn’t give you the results you want when used correctly, but I think there are other exercises that have been proven effective and for much cheaper. I recommend reading a number of reviews and shopping around before making any major purchases when it comes to exercise equipment. The cost of a new Hawaii Chair is $299 at usaperfect.com; for no cost at all, you can perform, squats, lunges, and abdominal exercises, or add light weights or a physioball, both of which can be found for under $25.
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