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Let’s face it: most workers have busy schedules that exhaust them after long hours. Think about sitting at your office desk from 9 to 5, handling documents, presentations, video calls, meetings, and more throughout the day. Because office workers are so tired, most people would just prefer to rest on the couch or on their bed. There’s no more time nor space to think about going to the gym to squeeze in a workout or two.
All in all, the combination of being consumed by work and sitting for the most part of the day has led to numerous people leading a sedentary lifestyle. Being physically inactive can bring about countless health risks, from neck pain, joint pain, back pain, weight gain, all the way to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and even early death.
It’s understandable that not everyone can live an active lifestyle hand in hand with their work life. While it may be difficult to do so, it isn’t entirely impossible. This is where desk exercise equipment comes in. We bet you’ve never imagined yourself pedaling away on a mini exercise bike while typing up important office documents. Well, we’re telling you now, that image is totally, absolutely possible.
In this article, we rounded up a list of some of the best desk exercise equipment that you should invest in. These fitness equipment can encourage you to create more movement and introduce more physical activity in your work day. Have a look!
What are the Best Desk Exercise Equipment to Invest In?
You don’t have to haul in the entire gym to your office just to get some workout in your day. These office exercise equipment can help you in staying active as you go. Aside from increasing your physical activity, these exercise equipment have numerous health benefits as well.
Standing Desk
Standing desks encourage you to do more movements around the day as it allows you to switch between a sitting and standing position while working. Sitting for too long is detrimental to the body and standing for long periods isn’t good either.
An adjustable standing desk allows you to have some balance between those two positions throughout your work day. Using one can increase productivity, reduce exhaustion, improve brain function, lose weight, and even alleviate chronic pain. If you’re looking in the market for one, check out our guide to the best standing desks. It’s also recommended that you pair up your standing desk with a desk mat so that your soles don’t suffer as well.
Under Desk Bike
The CDC recommends an average of 150 minutes of exercise in a week. With our fast-paced world today, numerous people find it difficult to hit the gym after work, leading them to have little to no exercise time at all, resulting in a sedentary lifestyle. Here’s a device for desk use that can help you stay active even while working on a deadline.
One of the best exercise equipment to invest in is a desk bike. Just as its name implies, an under desk bicycle or under desk elliptical is an exercise machine that you can pedal on throughout the day while you sit in your office chair. Since it doesn’t require the use of the upper body, you can easily perform your duties as you use it.
Most of them are whisper-quiet too and hardly make any noise, so you don’t have to worry about disturbing your co-workers. These under desk bikes also have adjustable resistance levels, making them ideal for everyone to use. Most of them also come fully assembled out of the box, all you’ll need to do is pedal away.
Balance Ball Chair
Been wanting to tone your core muscles but you don’t have the time to do so? Then this might be the solution to your problems. Replace your office chair with a balance ball chair instead. Balance balls are great for active sitting. They’re heavy-duty, elastic, air-filled balls that are sold in diameters ranging from 45cm to 65cm.
Balance ball chairs can help in keeping your core muscles engaged as you sit upright. They can relieve back pain and improve your posture as well. Some balance balls come with casters just like regular chairs but these can be removed once your body has gotten used to sitting on them.
Treadmill Desk
If you can’t bring yourself to the gym, bring the gym to your office instead. To promote a healthy lifestyle in the workplace, you can switch up your regular desk with a treadmill desk instead. Workers who have used this desk recommend a speed of 1mph to be both active and productive in the office.
It’s also recommended to wear a comfortable pair of shoes when using a treadmill desk as wearing heels or other types of footwear might lead to sore feet instead. If you’re not too keen on acquiring a full-sized treadmill desk, an under-desk treadmill is a good choice as well.
Ankle/Wrist Weights
If you want to workout on the go, do light exercise, burn calories, or build body strength while walking around the office, you can use wrist and ankle weights. These add a little resistance to your every movement, aiding you in passively losing calories while performing your tasks throughout the day. Most ankle weights are designed to be durable with neoprene padding and reinforced stitching. Additionally, they’re also adjustable and have velcro pads to keep them in place.
Free Weights
Aiming to tone your arms while making phone calls? Having a set of free weights or dumbbells in your office desk drawer can help you with that. Dumbbells are used to add resistance training to any workout you do. Not only can they help you tone muscles but they can also increase your energy levels, protect bone health, build strength, and much more. If you don’t have dumbbells on hand, you can also use a water bottle to do some strength training while on your desk.
Resistance Band
Have a small workspace and want exercise equipment that won’t take up much space? Get yourself a pair of resistance bands. These are long, elastic, and durable bands that provide resistance when stretched. They’re used for isometric exercises where your muscles are activated but the movement is subtle, or for isotonic movements where the muscles are activated to cause movement like lifting weights.Â
You can easily store resistance bands in your desk drawer or to the side. With resistance bands, you can add a little challenge to simple exercises that involve the arms, legs, and hips. Some bands also include ankle straps which you can use to anchor them under doors or desks, increasing the resistance.
Hand Exercise Balls
Stuck in a conference call that’s taking too long for your liking? Acquire a hand exercise ball to occupy your hands with. Not only does it provide stress relief, hand exercise balls may also aid in alleviating joint pain, especially if you do a lot of typing at work. They can also be used to increase hand strength as well.
Balance Board
Aiming to enhance your core strength and improve your balance? Why not try a balance board? A great companion to a standing desk, balance boards can strengthen the legs and keep your body active. They can also help to improve focus and reduce fatigue. Most boards have textured pressure points on the surface that can gently massage sore feet.
Yoga Mats
A yoga mat isn’t just for yoga use. There are actually numerous exercises that you can do on the mat. If you find yourself needing a breather in the office, lay your yoga mat in an empty space or in one of the break rooms and situate yourself on it to regain your focus. Yoga mats can also be used for doing planks, push-ups, stretching exercises, and more.
Do Under Desk Exercise Machines Work?
Yes, under desk exercise machines do work. If you’re not in the position to actually go outside for a bicycle ride or a walk, an under desk exercise machine can be a healthy alternative. It’s a great device that can help you incorporate more movement and increase your blood circulation throughout the day. These machines come with magnetic resistance mechanisms that you can change up, depending on the level of tension that you prefer. With higher resistance levels, you’ll be able to get a full body workout.
Can You Lose Weight with Desk Cycle?
Any form of exercise that you do, as long as your body is moving and your heart rate is going, can help you achieve your fitness goals. A desk exercise bike may be less intense than regular bikes, but the constant movement that you do with it can help you maintain weight and avoid gaining extra pounds. Because a desk elliptical is small and portable, you can pretty much use it anytime, anywhere, whether you’re in the office while working or at home while watching tv. If you wish to burn more calories, you can pair up a desk cycle with regular cardio workouts.
We hope that this list of the best exercise equipment to invest in can help you in squeezing in an office workout. With these devices, you don’t have to worry about being inactive or running out of time to rush to the gym and the like. Get yourself one of these items, or all of them, and start your fitness routine at work. Stay safe and stay healthy!
