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.

You know the habits that can creep in during a long work day – daydreaming about lunch, staring at the computer screen or browsing the web while that report remains unwritten. Sitting in one position all day can have a negative effect on a person’s mood and cloud the mind.

Luckily, if you own a standing desk, adjusting your position can get you out of a rut.

Lifehacker shared the psychological benefits of standing desks and how they help keep your mind moving throughout the day.

“Something about standing keeps me more engaged,” Ben from Pitch Dreams says. “My mind wanders less and for some reason I feel a bit more energized at work.”

He summarizes scientific research from Amy Cuddy, author of the TED talk, Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are (& how to create confidence and influence out of thin air).

Standing in specific “power poses” produces more testosterone that changes the body’s physiology and increases focus. Working at a standing desk naturally positions you into these certain poses, which subconsciously leads to better productivity.

Standing increases blood circulation, and we know what that means: more oxygen getting to the brain, which in turns revitalizes a person to see their mundane work tasks in a new light. Try standing most of the day and feel the brain cells spark and the creativity flow.

via LifeHacker

The post The Psychological Benefits of Standing 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.

Perform these yoga positions behind your standing desk to keep moving and increase blood flow.

If you’ve been paying attention, you know very well how good for you standing desks and adjustable height desks can be. They can improve your posture, your energy, your weight, your back comfort and your health overall… The list goes on and on.

That being said, standing desks can be a bit difficult to get used to, after spending years sitting down at your desk job. I know when I first started standing, it took a while to work my way up to standing most of the day (which is why my adjustable height desk was so helpful—I could alternate until I was used to it!).

But for those of you who don’t have an adjustable height desk like the Terra model to alternate between sitting and standing, I have for you another option: Yoga.

Yoga is wonderful for you for so many reasons, but remember, you don’t need to restrict your yoga practice to the studio or your after-work-hours.

Here is a simple 3-step yoga sequence that will help get your blood flowing and keep your legs from being fatigued when you’re trying to get used to standing at the office:

1) Begin with a combination of Mountain Pose (tadasana) followed by Standing Half Moon (ardha chandrasana), a side bending pose.

2) Move to Tree (vrksasana) on each side and then into Mountain Pose with arms over head (urdhva hastasana).

3) Interlace fingers behind back and fold forward (Yoga mudra), and finish with a Standing Forward Fold with an easy twist: One hand on the earth (under the face) other hand extended to sky. End in Mountain Pose.

4) Add a revolved chair pose to extend the routine.

*If you need a visual guide to these poses, click here.

All of these yoga positions will not only loosen you up, stretch you out, and get the blood flowing, but also help you pay attention to your posture throughout the day.

If you start to get uncomfortable behind your standing desk, or even just stressed out from a day at work, take a few minutes to run through this easy sequence. You will feel energized, looser, and de-stressed—all from the comfort of your standing desk.

Do you have any tips for transitioning to using a standing desk? Share your thoughts below!

The post Yoga Behind your Standing Desk appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

Stand up and start walking toward better health.

The title of this post might seem a bit confusing. Walking? Right now? But I am reading this post!

Well, if that was your immediate reaction, let me let you in on a little secret: You can be walking right now, staring at your computer monitor, or even typing along in the comment box below, all with the magical help of a treadmill desk.

But why should you be walking at work with a Xdesk Fit? After all, you go to the gym, you exercise, you eat pretty well, right? Studies show that even with regular exercise, if you’re sitting at work all day, you are not as healthy as you should be.

Here are some more reasons to get up and start walking with a treadmill desk:

1) You’re designed for it. The human body is designed to be actively walking most of the day. And when we deprive our bodies of walking, they suffer. The evidence is seen in back, neck, and shoulder pains, becoming overweight, vision problems, and general weakening of the body.

2) Walking is one of the healthiest ways to exercise. Walking is a low impact workout for your whole body, just like biking, yoga or golfing. They won’t take a toll on your joints like running, soccer, and cross training might (Believe me, I am a living testament to what can happen to joints after too much high impact work!).

3) Walking is good for your cardiovascular system. The cardiovascular system is comprised of the heart, veins, and blood vessels, and if you don’t strengthen these organs (i.e. by sitting around all day), you are more prone to diseases and health issues. Walking is wonderful for strengthening our heart, veins, and blood vessels, and it does so easily.

4) Walking boosts your metabolism. Lots of types of exercise will increase your muscle mass and decrease fat, but walking has the added benefit of increasing your metabolism very consistently. Walk regularly, keep moving, stay active, and your body will be a fat-burning machine—even when you are stationary!

5) Walking strengthens your immune system. Walking helps increase the number of macrophages, the cells that attack bacteria, and the number of immune cells circulating throughout the body. In short: walk more, get sick less.

6) Walking is a great stress reliever. Think about a time when you were stressed out at work and you were stuck sitting at your desk—you practically feel like you’re going to boil over! The best thing you can do is get out and take a walk, but sometimes you just can’t escape the office. With a treadmill desk, you can relieve your stress and stay on task (but then get outside and get some fresh air when you can—we weren’t designed to be cooped up all day!).

7) Walking will make you live longer. Yes, the Big Reason to walk. Turns out walking and low impact exercises is one of the factors that constantly pops up in societies around the world that live the longest, healthiest lives. They don’t kill themselves in the gym, they don’t do marathons—they walk and do consistent, low impact exercises. It is a part of their lives.

So if you aren’t walking while reading this, I recommend that you order your own treadmill desk immediately. And while you’re waiting for it to arrive, you can start implementing walking more throughout your workday by:

1) Take walking meetings

2) Walk to your co-workers’ offices, rather than send emails

3) Walk up the stairs to work

4) Park further away from work

5) Walk to lunch

6) Walk around the office when you’re feeling tired

7) Walk to work.

In short, just walk.

How do you implement walking and movement throughout your day? Do you use a treadmill desk?

The post Why You Should be WALKING Right Now 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.

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 Duck Dynasty family has discovered the benefits of an adjustable height desk.

If you have read even one of our posts here at the Xdesk blog, you know just how beneficial a standing or adjustable height desk can be for your health. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, better your posture, boost your energy, or just feel better overall, a standing desk is the key to doing so.

And the media is taking notice!

Not only are standing desks in the news these days, but they’re also starting to pop up in shows and movies. The following video clip may as well be endorsed by Xdesk, it is so pointedly saluting the benefits of standing desks (I assure you, it’s not!).

The popular show Duck Dynasty illustrates how even a self-proclaimed “redneck” like Willie Roberson can benefit and love an adjustable height desk. Here we see that he’s just installed some adjustable height desks, very similar to the Xdesk (aside from the camo desktop!), in the office. He explains to his skeptical brother that adjustable height desks promote productivity, movement, and comfort.

Of course like any stereotypical “old man” on T.V., Willie’s uncle objects completely to this crazy newfangled technology saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks!”

But then Willie pushes the button—low and behold the magical moving desk! Willie’s uncle immediately changes his mind about the ridiculous standing desk, because “he likes to push buttons.”

Of course there is more to adjustable height desks like the Xdesk than simply pushing buttons (though that is oddly satisfying). Adjustable height desks give you the freedom to move—move while you stand, stretch, shift your weight and burn more calories. They also give you the freedom to move into a seated position, just by pushing one of the oh-so-delightful buttons.

For benefits galore, click here to see why a Xdesk could change not only the way you work, but the way you live.

And be sure to tune in to Duck Dynasty to watch how their new standing desks transform the lives of the cast! I know I will.

Where have you noticed adjustable height desks or standing desks in the media lately?

The post Standing Desks in the Spotlight: Duck Dynasty Style 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.