The study found that back pain, muscle and joint aches were relatively equal among different regions, and between men and women. The place where people experienced the most discomfort was the back, with the shoulders and neck coming in at a close second.

People are going to great lengths to cure the unbearable pain they’re experiencing, so much so that last year American’s spent 50 billion on lower back pain treatment alone.

Medication, hot and cold treatments and massage were all common methods of management, but most forgot about prevention. Paying attention to posture and ergonomics is essential to help prevent the risk of serious pain, and a standing desk can help you get there.

Xdesk was designed with ergonomics in mind, and comes with other options so you can achieve the best standing and sitting position. And don’t forget to use other accessories as well, like an anti-fatigue floor mat and comfortable shoes to give even greater support.

Check out the infographic below to learn more about the statistics surrounding widespread pain.

[Infographic via]

The post The Truth Hurts: Muscle & Joint Pain in the U.S. appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

It’s time to start thinking about improving your posture, but this time we have a few tips on maintaining good habits that won’t have you getting strange looks from coworkers.

Take Time to Reflect

• Instead of staring out your office window, use it as a mirror to check out your posture. Figure out what’s keeping you out of line. Slouched shoulders, hips to the side, or bent back? Let the mirror be your guide.

Start From the Bottom

• Good posture begins with your feet. They should be relatively shoulder length apart. Next, align your hips and keep your shoulders squared to create a straight line from head-to-toe.

Teach and Repeat

• Instead of running to get coffee during breaks, try teaching your body what it feels like to stand tall. Position your body against the wall, with just your shoulders, head and butt touching it. It will feel awkward at first, but practice makes perfect! And soon it will feel strange not standing that way.

Stick With It

• Since we can’t bring our mothers with us to the office (usually), place post-it notes or stickers around your workspace to remind you to keep your posture in check. You can be as harsh or as gentle as you like, just as long as it gets you to stand up straight.

Get in Your Head

• Of course it’s important to continue to sit up straight while sitting, but don’t forget to adjust the head rest! Your back may be aligned, but it’s not doing any good if you’re straining the neck. The head rest should be placed so the middle of your head rests against it, not beneath the neck or placed too high.

Did you practice these steps? What did you think?

The post How to Improve Posture at Work appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

Standing desks, treadmill desks, and adjustable height desks have been shown to act as a great outlet for nerves, stress, or extra energy. When you’re sitting all day and something comes along—a sudden deadline! An overdue report! A broken printer! Whatever!—it is no wonder that you get stressed out.

Your body goes into fight or flight mode, your muscles tense, and all you want to do is run! Well, with a standing, adjustable height, or treadmill desk, you have an outlet for that energy. Then you can focus on the task at hand—and not the idea of running out the door!

Aside from a treadmill desk, adjustable height desk, or standing desk, there are many other ways that you can relax and reboot at work—without even leaving your office.

• Listen: Listen to your surroundings, the type of your coworkers’ keys, your breathing.
• Sweep: Practice a mental sweeping of the chalkboard of your mind. Pause intentionally and visualize an eraser ridding any overwhelming thoughts.
• Look: Look at a picture of your family, pet or a vacation spot you love.
• Count: I think Thomas Jefferson said it best: “When angry, count to 10 before you speak. If very angry, count to 100.”
• Take in relaxing sounds: Listen to calming music or a recording of soothing ocean waves, rain, or whatever sound floats your boat (perhaps the sound of a boat?). This will calm you down—plus, studies show that classical music can improve brain function.
• Organize your desk. If you are surrounded by clutter, it is no wonder your mind might feel cluttered as well. If you’re stressed, take a moment, breathe, and clear off your desk, thus clearing your mind.
• Workout. Who needs an hour and a half to sit down and eat anymore? Use that time more wisely and hit the gym, go for a run, get to yoga, or just move! You can eat in a few minutes when you get back. Work that stress out.
• Meditate. The beauty of meditation? It requires nothing—nothing at all. You don’t need to be at any special place, in any special position, or in any special state of mind. Just close your eyes, focus on your breath, and merely observe the thoughts that flit around in your mind, like leaves blowing in the wind. They’ll start to slow. And so will your stressed-out heart rate!

If you’re stressed at the office, try some of these de-stressing tips (note—these de-stressers work just as well at home too!). And get up, stand up, and get moving with a treadmill desk or even a standing desk to prevent anxiety in the first place. Remember, things don’t stress you out—it is all about your reaction to them. It’s your choice.

Do you use an adjustable height desk or treadmill desk at work? Have you noticed a difference in your stress levels? Share your thoughts!

The post How to De-stress at Work appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

The adjustable monitor arm takes your standing desk to the next level.

So you have your adjustable height desk or standing desk, you have your adjustable keyboard tray, and yet … you still feel like you could be more comfortable and more aligned. So what can you do besides stack your monitor on a pile of shoe boxes?

Get an adjustable monitor arm. At Xdesk, we offer two options: the Solo Monitor arm, for those of you with one monitor, and the Mondo Monitor arm, for those of you who use two monitors.

Here’s why you should be using an adjustable monitor arm if you’re not already:

1) You don’t want to strain your neck by peering at the monitor in a fixed position. A Xdesk adjustable monitor arm will allow you to adjust the height, depth, and in most cases, the angle of your monitor to get it at the healthiest and most comfortable position for your body.

2) Clear up the clutter. If you already have an adjustable height desk from Xdesk, you know that a clutter-free design is important to us. All of the wires, gears, and things that make your desk move so smoothly, are, well, hidden.

So why clutter up your beautiful adjustable height desk with a clunky monitor on top of it, just taking up space? Maximize the space on your desk with an adjustable monitor arm.

3) Adjustable monitor arms are versatile. Rather than setting a stack of boxes on your desk to lift your monitor to the perfect height (which believe me, doesn’t work), an adjustable monitor arm allows complete flexibility and versatility. Even if you share your ergonomic workstation with others, the adjustable monitor arm will move to meet individual needs.

4) Your adjustable height desk works best with a monitor arm. If you have an adjustable height desk, you need to be able to adjust your monitor to the optimal viewing position for either standing or sitting.

This can change depending on what height your desk is set to, so a monitor arm is not just another “accessory” for your adjustable height desk, but it is also necessary.

5) Your Xdesk Fit will work better with a monitor arm. Just like with an adjustable height desk, if you use a treadmill desk, it will work best for your body if you use an adjustable monitor arm. Not only will your posture be better, but what about for those times when you don’t want to be walking on the treadmill at your desk?

With an adjustable monitor arm, you can turn the monitor around 360 degrees and work from a standing position or even a chair on the other side of the desk. Pretty neat, huh?

If you already have your adjustable height desk, standing desk, or treadmill desk and you still feel something is missing, well, chances are, it is a monitor arm. Check them out online today.

Do you use an adjustable monitor arm with your ergonomic workstation? How do you like it?

The post The Top 5 Reasons Why You Need an Adjustable Monitor Arm appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

Does your employer encourage a healthy lifestyle at the office?

In previous posts we’ve talked a lot about the importance of exercise and staying active (even moderate exercise is hugely beneficial, for all you hardcore exercisers out there!)

But for those readers out there are who are struggling to squeeze exercise into their overflowing to-do list, it can be difficult to find the time and motivation. After all, we’re busy. I get it. But there are certain things we can all do to help each other when it comes to staying on track with exercise.

One thing that employers and employees can do is create a Workplace Workout Program! After all, many of us spend most of our time at work—it’s the perfect opportunity to support and encourage each other to stay active.

Here are some ways to workout at work:

1. Participate in a local race. Even better, participate in a local race for charity! This can be a great way to stay in shape and bond with your co-workers.

2. Start a wellness committee. This group can host seminars or activities themed around issues relevant to staff.

3. Have challenges in the office tracking personal fitness goals. I had a job once that partook in a “biggest loser” type challenge. Everyone supported each other throughout the process and in the end, the people who were the “biggest losers,” i.e. lost the most weight, were given a prize.

4. Give the people what they want! What I mean is, give your employees standing height desks, adjustable height desks, or treadmill desks. They will not only be healthier, but more productive, thus benefiting the entire company!

5. Provide compensation for your employees’ gym memberships. This is probably the most effective and straightforward way to tell your office, “I care about your health. Now go to the gym!”

6. Brainstorm together. Have a meeting with your employees about office fitness. Find out what ideas they have on bringing better ergonomics into the office and promoting physical (and emotional!) well-being inside and outside of the office. A happy, healthy office is a more productive office.

While we can’t exactly enforce a rule in offices to make employers equip their offices with standing height desks, adjustable height desks, or treadmill desks, we can encourage YOU, the employee to step up, work with your employers, and build a healthy team rather than just an office space.

Does your office offer any kind of incentives for living a healthy lifestyle and exercising? Do you all use standing height desks, adjustable height desks, or treadmill desks at work?

Share your thoughts below!

The post Bring The Workout to Work appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

Working from home is becoming increasingly popular. Invest in the Xdesk Solo to improve productivity at home.

Right now I am writing this post in sweatpants, a t-shirt, sun pouring in through my open door, and listening to the birds chirping outside. I haven’t brushed my hair today, I haven’t put on makeup, and I don’t plan to for another hour at least.

I’m working from home.

With the rapid rise in technology, what with email, Google Docs, teleconferencing, etc., working from home is becoming not only a more viable option, but a preferable one for many businesses all over the world.

In fact, studies show that working from home at least 1-3 days a week makes for healthier, happier, and more productive employees. It is a perfect option for someone (like me) who writes or does other computer-heavy task and doesn’t necessarily need to make face time in the office so much.

The only problem here is that at-home ergonomics are often not up to par.

In today’s post I thought I’d talk about things you can do to make your work-from-home time a bit more comfortable, more productive and healthier.

1) Get a standing or adjustable height desk. Many businesses are hopping on the standing or adjustable height desk train these days, but these benefits don’t need to be restricted to the walls of your office. You can get a standing or adjustable height desk for your home too. At Xdesk, there is a perfect solution: The Xdesk Solo. This is a smaller adjustable height desk, perfect for working from home.

2) Make your own standing/adjustable height desk. This isn’t as convenient as having an adjustable height desk that will move to your perfect height at the push of a button, but it is better than sitting down all day on your couch. After a day of sitting on my couch with my laptop on my lap, my shoulders and neck are in AGONY! After a day of standing at my makeshift standing desk, I can’t even tell I’ve been typing away all day.

3) Get an adjustable keyboard tray. If you already have a good standing or adjustable height desk, you might want to think about adding an adjustable keyboard tray to maximize your ergonomic benefits.

4) Add a monitor arm. Monitor arms are the accessory of the season—for your health! These will make it so that your monitor is at the exact right height, no matter what. They are adjustable, and the perfect complement for your adjustable height desk.

So if you’re working from home, think about getting an adjustable height desk, standing desk, or perhaps getting a little crafty and making your own. Believe me, your neck, shoulders, back (and energy, weight, and health overall!) will thank you for it.

Do you work from home some or all of the week? Do you use a standing or adjustable height desk? Comment below!

The post Improve your At-Home Ergonomics appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

The average person should walk 10,000 steps a day. Use a treadmill desk to help you reach that goal.

Do you use a Xdesk Fit treadmill at work? How much do you use it per day?

If you answered that question with a grimace and know you should use it more, today’s post is for you.

It’s a challenge!

According to a recent study, an average person should be walking about 10,000 steps per day, with or without a Xdesk Fit—that’s about 5 miles.

Unfortunately, the average person only walks about 1,000 to 3,000 steps per day. So you can see the problem.

My challenge to you is this: Use your Xdesk Fit desk treadmill to help you walk at least 10,000 steps today—and if you’re trying to lose weight, go for even more.

Of course you don’t have to do all of this at your desk treadmill—remember, you are walking around outside of the office.

To inspire you to take the challenge, here are some practical ways that you can boost the amount of steps you take in a day:

1) Walk your dog. Fido can’t very well climb onto your desk treadmill with you, so take some time after work to take him for a walk. He’ll thank you for it.

2) Use the stairs instead of an elevator. Even your desk treadmill can’t compete with a steep flight of stairs. Want a challenge? Jog the stairs!

3) Park further away from the store.

4) Walk to the store.

5) Walk during your meeting. Not only is this a great way to exercise, but a good way to get outside and remember “the world beyond the office.” Of course if you need to be at your desk during a teleconference or meeting, there is always your desk treadmill!

6) Window shop. You don’t have to buy anything, just look around. Prefer to shop online? Use your treadmill desk!

7) Get up to change the channel. Yes, even this small distance will add steps to your day.

So get up and start walking! Five miles a day may seem like a lot, but with a desk treadmill, the distance will seem far less, and once those pounds start falling off and you feel so much healthier, you’ll wonder how you ever worked without a treadmill desk in the first place.

(Still counting down the days until I get my own Xdesk Fit desk treadmill. Very excited!)

About how many steps or miles do you walk in a typical day, on and off your Xdesk Fit desk treadmill?

Source: LiveStrong.com

The post Challenge Yourself with a Desk Treadmill appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

This is a personal account of using the Xdesk Fit walking desk for the first time.

In case you missed our last few posts, let me remind you of the exciting news: Xdesk’s latest innovation in ergonomic workstations is…

The Xdesk Fit!

That’s good news for athletes, anyone trying to lose weight, stay healthy and get healthy. Okay, the treadmill desk is good news for pretty much anybody. And it sounds so good in theory, doesn’t it?

You can be work, burn calories and improve your lymphatic, metabolic, and immune health at the same time.But I bet some of you are still a little skeptical, right? Well, don’t worry. I was too. But that was before I actually tried the Xdesk Fit.

I don’t have my own treadmill desk yet, but for the purpose of this blog and my love of all things ergonomic, I wanted to find a way to give the treadmill desk a go before going all gaga over it, like so many of the reviews I’ve read.

I tried somebody’s Xdesk Fit, and I can safely say… I’m officially gaga.

Initially I wondered how walking on the Xdesk Fit would impact my typing and overall ability to multitask. But here’s the thing—have you ever walked and talked at the same time? How about walked and texted? It’s not that difficult, people! (And with the treadmill desk you don’t have to worry about walking out in front of a car while typing, as you might on your phone…).

The movement of your feet while using a walking desk doesn’t impact your typing, because you’re not moving that much above the waist. You’re not running.

That’s another thing you should keep in mind, and I know it seems obvious but I’m going to repeat it anyway: you are not running with the desk treadmill. So athletes out there—don’t expect a run-quality workout while you are using the walking desk—that’s not what it’s designed for.

What it is designed for is to keep your body in motion, to burn off excess energy while you’re at work, and to keep you alert and productive. I hardly think you’d be very productive trying to run and type at the same time, do you?

The thing that surprised me about the Xdesk desk treadmill in particular was how easy it was to use. At first I thought it might be overwhelming—typing on one computer, having to adjust and monitor my speed on another device, having to push stop the moment I wanted to take a break.

But it was easy because with this specific treadmill desk everything I needed was in one place. With their nifty app I was able to adjust and monitor my speed right on the computer I was working on and if I wanted to take a break, all I needed to do was step off of the belt and the machine automatically paused.

Like I said, I don’t have my own Xdesk Fit (yet!), and so I can’t very well tell you how it’s going after a week of use—I think the desk’s owner would probably start to get a bit irritated if I took up his work-space for a week—but I can tell you that after trying it out for a couple of hours, I felt energetic, I felt stretched out, I felt looser, and I didn’t feel like a big lazy lump (which I can say, I have before with a sitting desk).

So if nothing else, you should definitely give the walking desk a try. And after you do, when you undoubtedly want to buy one, you can visit the Xdesk Fit page to do so!

Happy walking, everyone!

Have you ever tried a treadmill desk? What did you think?

The post My Xdesk Fit Experiment: Using a Treadmill Desk appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

There are multiple benefits to using a treadmill desk at work, from losing weight to increasing productivity.

In our last post we introduced you to the all-new Xdesk Fit. We talked about its features, the specs, and gave you a general idea of why it is so very cool. But we didn’t discuss exactly why you might want to look into a walking desk for yourself.

So in today’s post we’ll cover the benefits of walking at work. Spoiler alert: some of them might surprise you!

1) Lose Weight: It is predicted that by introducing just three more hours of walking a day, you can lose up to 50-70 pounds in a year without restrictive dieting.

2) Prevent Disease: You can help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and lower cholesterol. These diseases are often associated with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. By increasing your movement and the amount of time you spend walking, you can help combat these all-too-common killers.

3) Improve Overall Health: Use a walking desk to help prevent other types of diseases. By walking, not only are you burning fat to lose weight and preventing heart and insulin problems, but you’re stimulating your body’s lymphatic and immune systems to ward off other diseases.

4) Increase Energy Levels: With a walking desk you will feel more alert and energetic. By walking, you’re increasing blood flow and oxygen to your brain and other vital parts of your body. These desks make you healthier and more alert and energetic at work as well as after you leave.

5) Relieve Muscle Pain: With a walking desk you can relieve back and leg pain. After a long day of sitting or standing in one spot, your back and legs might very well be protesting. Painfully!

With a walking desk, you can stay in motion and keep your muscles stretching and moving. This way, lactic acid won’t build up from staying still—you’ll feel more limber and comfortable than you’d imagine possible at the end of a workday.

6) Increase Muscle Strength: With a Xdesk Fit treadmill desk you’ll increase your strength and build muscle. Walking is a great way to burn fat and build muscle. The more lean muscle you build by walking, the faster your metabolism will be! It’s a very lovely cycle.

7) Maintain Joint Health: With a walking desk you won’t damage your joints. Many high-impact exercises like running or cross-training may be good for your physique—but not good for your joints. By doing low-impact exercises like walking, you’re burning calories, but you’re not hurting injuring yourself in the meantime.

8) Improve Productivity: With a walking desk you won’t lose time at work. You won’t have to take breaks to walk around the building anymore and lose time on your project—you’ll just walk as you work!

9) Save Time: With a Xdesk Fit you won’t lose time after work. You can kiss those late nights at the gym goodbye. With your walking desk you can get a workout in during your workday, cutting the time you spend in the gym down significantly!

10) Increase Personal Satisfaction: Finally, you’ll feel better about work. I don’t know about you, but after a long day of sitting or standing at work, I feel utterly lazy. I feel like I should have spent my day moving! With a walking desk¸ though, you can move at work. You’ll feel better, more productive, happier, and trust me, your co-workers will thank you for it.

If you’ve been thinking about getting a walking desk for your own office, consider these 10 benefits to make the decision that much easier. And come back next time to find out more about the Xdesk Fit!

Do you or somebody you know use a Xdesk Fit, or one similar, at work? Comment below and share your thoughts!

The post Top 10 Benefits of Using a Xdesk Fit Treadmill Desk appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

The Xdesk Fit offers additional features beyond the normal treadmill desk.

Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock (or perhaps more appropriately, an old, traditional desk), you have probably heard about the latest and greatest in ergonomic workstations: The treadmill desk!

The treadmill desk is a step beyond the standing desk and adjustable height desks (pun intended!), which is why Xdesk has decided to not only to create a treadmill desk of our own, but to improve and build upon the existing treadmill desk.

Most treadmill desks on the market today are pretty basic: You’ve got a rather clunky treadmill—something you might see in the gym in the late 90’s—and a standing desk. This is all fine and well, until you start to think about the features you really need at a good ergonomic workstation.

What if the desk portion of your treadmill desk is too low or too high? What if you need to easily pause your treadmill desk while you’re working? What about counting steps, calories, distance, and speed without doing a running mental calculation?

Well, with a Xdesk treadmill desk the issues with other treadmill desks have been turned into convenient features. Let’s explore this newest addition to the Xdesk family, shall we?

First, let’s talk about the actual desk part of our treadmill desk. Rather than use a standard, one-height standing desk like some of our competitors, we’ve opted to use our unique power-adjustable height desks. Choose between the Terra or Air models for a warm or more modern look, and rest assured that either way, the desk for your treadmill desk will be the perfect height for you, because you are in control.

Either of these options for your treadmill desk is eco-friendly—the Terra with its sustainable bamboo desktop and recycled aluminum columns, and the air with its super-thin, recycled aluminum desktop.

The treadmill is an unobtrusive 29” x 70.5” (outside dimensions) and it is modern and sleek with clean lines.

This treadmill desk is the height of technology—not only because of its adjustable height, but also because of the treadmill itself. The treadmill desk comes with an LED digital display that you can place on top of your treadmill desk—no matter where it is positioned. This will list your walking time, calories burned, distance traveled and your speed.

Even better, the Xdesk treadmill desk is Bluetooth-enabled, so you can track your progress right on your computer’s desktop with a handy app. Talk about being productive at the office!

Finally, with all of these cool features of this treadmill desk comes one that is perhaps the most important: the added safety.

Most treadmill desks continue to run if you step off for a moment, which can be dangerous if you need to stop walking or pause to take a call. With the Xdesk Fit Treadmill desk, the belt will know when you step off and will stop after just 20 seconds.

Pretty cool, huh?

Whether you’re an athlete, a person trying to lose weight, or just somebody who wants to keep moving, the all-new Xdesk Fit Treadmill desk is the desk for you. Be sure to come back next time when we go over the benefits of the treadmill desk (and trust me, there are a lot!).

What do you think of the Xdesk Fit treadmill desk?

The post Introducing the Xdesk Fit Treadmill Desk! appeared first on Xdesk Blog.