Easy chair with exercise and health benefits

#The present invention relates generally to chairs and other apparatus for assisting the sitting or reclining body with comfort, exercise, posture, ingress, egress, support, fitness, breathing, sleeping, napping, safety, wellness, stretching, good posture and alleviation or prevention of back and other body pain. Many people do not receive an adequate amount of physical exercise. Physicians, physical fitness experts and health professionals have long recognized the relationship between good health and regular physical exercise. A sedentary lifestyle leads to reduced longevity.

#In order to exercise, people often frequent gyms having extensive and expensive exercise equipment or frequent other locations for exercise away from their homes or offices. People also purchase special exercise equipment for their homes or offices and may have special areas or rooms dedicated to exercise. Travel to gyms or other exercise locations requires time and expense and often may not be convenient for many reasons. Special home or office rooms or other dedicated exercise areas are not suitable for many people.

#Exercises that can be carried out in the home, office and other places where people normally sit during their regular daily activities is most desirable. Exercises which can be carried out using apparently conventional furniture and non-obtrusive equipment are especially desirable particularly when no special area or dedicated exercise room is available. This objective is even more the case where people have transferred to an aging care or recovery facility.

#FIG. 1 depicts a front perspective view of a seating apparatus in the form of an easy chair, motion chair, recliner or lift chair.

#FIG. 2 depicts a front perspective view of a frame for the chair of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 depicts a top view of the chair of FIG. 1.

#In FIG. 1, a front perspective view is shown of a seating apparatus in the form of an easy chair 10. The easy chair 10 includes a front 2, a back 3, a first side 4 and a second side 5. A seat 6 extends from the front 2 to the back 3 between the side 4 and the side 5. The seat 6 is cushioned to provide easy chair comfort. A front panel 7 extends between the leg 14 and the leg 15 and below the cushion 6. The arm 12 is along the side 4 and the arm 13 is along the side 5. The cushion 8 and the cushion 9 are part of the back component 11. The front leg 14 is in the front on the side 4 and the front leg 15 is in the front on the side 5. The back leg 14′ is in the back on the side 4 and the back leg 15′ is in the back on the side 5. A rigid support 16 is in the front on the side 4 and a rigid support 17 is in the front on the side 5. The support 16 and the support 17 are attached to the frame (see FIG. 2) of the easy chair 10. A rigid support 18 is in the back nearer the side 4 and a rigid support 19 is in the back nearer the side 5. The support 18 and the support 19 are attached to the frame (see FIG. 2) of the easy chair 10. The term “support” is intended to mean any item of manufacture that performs a function of supporting, stabilizing, securing or otherwise assisting a human body in connection with using a seating apparatus such as a chair, bed or similar equipment.

#The chair of FIG. 1 can be used at all times as a normal piece of furniture. The supports 16, 17, 18 and 19 can be ignored, retracted, hidden or removed. When the supports 16, 17, 18 and 19 are present and used, the chair provides health benefits including comfort, exercise, posture, ingress, egress, support, fitness, stress reduction, stretching and alleviation or prevention of back and other body pain. The normal parts of a chair or other apparatus include a seat, a back component, a first arm and a second arm, legs and a frame to hold the other parts together. A support is a member that extends from one or more of the parts of a chair or other seating apparatus to provide a stationary anchor to facilitate the exercising and/or supporting of the body beyond what is facilitated by the normal parts of the chair or other seating apparatus. The stationary anchor provides a resistance for exercise. The resistance of the support is through an exercise band (resistance band) or is by direct holding (grasping in the hand) or by direct contact (pushing with a foot) with the body.

#In FIG. 2, a front perspective view is shown of a typical frame 20 for the chair 10 of FIG. 1. The frame is constructed of plywood or other furniture material and provides a structure for attachment to and rigidly holding the supports 16, 17, 18 and 19 and the other supports described in this specification.