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.

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.

These products will relieve lower back pain along with your Xdesk adjustable desk.

By now you know all about how the adjustable height desk can make you healthier, more productive, improve your posture, and eliminate back pain (and if you didn’t, now you do). But I hate to sound like a broken record here—yes we know the adjustable height desk is great. But what are some other products on the market for those with back problems, sore shoulders, or even poor posture?

Fo today’s post I’ve done a bit of digging and come up with a list of the top products on the market for just that. If you have a problem back, pain in your shoulders, or even just find yourself slouching, this list is for you: 

1) Xdesk Adjustable Height Desk. Well of course I had to include the adjustable height desk—the list wouldn’t be complete without it! Move from sitting to standing easily and smoothly, improving your posture, energy, and overall health. But surely we already know enough about Xdesk by now … let’s move on to something smaller.

2) Neck and Shoulder Massager. This gem is the perfect addition to an adjustable height desk—get a shoulder massage while you’re standing up at your desk! It’s great for those who were introduced to the adjustable height desk just a moment too late and have developed tight shoulders from typing (like me several months ago). With this little guy you can stop paying so much for professional massages, and you can take this “masseuse” wherever you go. Now that’s service.

3) TravelLite Back Rest. This is great for when you do have to sit down, especially if you have lower back pain or plain old bad posture. The lightweight back rest is perfect for cars, planes, or even your office chair. But there is an even better solution for the chair in your office…

4) Exerflex Ball. Stick one of these Exerflex balls behind your adjustable height desk, so when you do sit down in between standing sessions, your muscles are still engaged. Studies show that when you engage your muscles and move around, you’re automatically burning more calories—even when you’re sitting.

With an Exerflex ball, you are constantly engaging your core, strengthening the muscles near your spine to improve posture, and you have the freedom to roll and bounce around, which expends energy and burns calories.

5) Teeter Hangups. You may have seen this one on T.V. (when you’re standing up watching it—not sitting around on the couch, of course…). This product may take up a lot of space, but if you have a bad back, there is nothing like it to streeeeetttttch you out. Again, if you got your adjustable height desk a moment too late to prevent your spine from crunching up from so much sitting, the Teeter is your new best friend. Just insert your feet, lean back, and let gravity do its work.

If you already have an adjustable height desk to help with posture and improve future pain, you might consider getting some of these other products for the pain you already have.

Do you have any of these products? What do you think?

The post Banish Back Pain with these 5 Great Products appeared first on Xdesk Blog.