And who can blame you? With the onset of cold weather, comfy sweaters and jackets will hide any pounds added on – and the extra weight will act as insulation (right?). You can eat a second slice of pecan pie and not give it a second thought.

But if you’d like to avoid the crash diets and frantic, overly-sweaty workouts once swimsuit season rolls around, it’s best to start early and stay in the habit of working out.

Thankfully, since you have an adjustable height desk, there are plenty of workouts you can perform without having to leave the comfort of your workstation.

If you need equipment to keep you motivated, there is workout gear you can leave at the office that won’t take up too much space. And maybe if you’re constantly staring at equipment while on a conference call, you’ll be more enticed to use it.

Even better, this exercise equipment can be used sitting or standing behind your adjustable height desk.

1. Kettlebells

Kettlebells are great for the office.

Who wants boring weights when there are kettlebells? Use these when you’re alone in the office, it’s best to avoid giving your boss a black eye during an impressive windmill (unless he really deserves it … kidding).

Kettlebells are more challenging than regular dumbbells since the weight isn’t evenly distributed. You can tone your arms, core and shoulders with these guys. Research shows that people who used kettlebells for 20 minutes burned close to 300 calories. How’s that for motivation?

For a subtle maneuver behind your standing desk, this workout is easy to perform during a brainstorm session:

Around-the-Body-Pass: With your desk adjusted to your height, hold the kettlebell with two hands in front of your torso and your feet hip-width apart. Next, release the kettlebell from one hand and move both hands behind your back. Grab it with your left hand and bring it around to your front. Avoid moving your hips to keep your core engaged.

2. Bosu Balance Trainer
You might be surprised to learn how much your body can benefit from a Bosu Balance Trainer, and when you’re done, slide it under your standing desk for easy storage. The balance trainer gives you a full-body workout and strengthens your agility.

Like they say, never skip leg day, so this exercise will work out your lower body. And it helps that it’s fun and keeps you moving:

Standing Hip Abduction: With your desk raised to the appropriate level, stand on the balance trainer and place your hands on your hips. When you’re balanced, lift your right leg to the side and back down to the balancer. Switch to your left leg and repeat. To make it more difficult, move your head from side to side with each leg lift. When you’re done, jump to get your heart pumping and your body in motion (and it’s like having a trampoline at work, come on).

3. Resistance Bands

There are thousands of workouts to do with resistance bands

Resistance bands are great for the office – roll them up for easy desk storage and when you’re ready to tone, take them out and put them to use. Since these guys work your back, arms, glutes and more, it’s strange that they’re not in every office today.

This is one out of a thousand exercises you can perform with resistance bands:

Pull Apart: With feet shoulder-width apart and your standing desk adjusted accordingly, grip the middle of the band with both hands at shoulder level. Keep your arms straight and pull the band out and back, contracting your shoulder blades. Repeat 10 times.

4. Balance Ball Chair
Since we’re starting to think about the holidays, the balance bar chair would make the perfect office gift – and it allows you to work out while sitting down. If you need a break from your adjustable height desk but need to keep moving, this chair will do the trick.

It’s similar to a balance ball, and helps you improve your core strength and posture. The chair will keep you from “lounging” and help you to sit at attention:

Seated March: Lower your desk to the appropriate chair height, and sit on the balance ball with your abs tight. Slowly march, alternating left and right feet. When you’re comfortable, lift your knees higher or bounce on the ball. Repeat.

5. Pull up Bar

Pull up bars are easy to install, and work well in home offices

This workout gear will bring you back to the days of gym class – desperately trying to reach your chin over the bar while your skinny arms trembled. Today, we’re older, stronger, fatter, and determined to lose it.

The pull up bar has undergone an evolution, now there are tons of bars for everyone. You can hang it from the wall, over the door, and even from the ceiling above your adjustable height desk. Now there’s no excuse not to have one at the office.

You know how this works:

Chin up: Adjust your desk to the highest setting (so you can still see the computer screen). With your wrists facing outward, pull yourself up and hang for 30 seconds, then slowly lower your body back down.

You may not look like Patrick Bateman (and hopefully not act like him) by the end of these office workouts, but who knows? Do these daily behind your standing desk (or pump up your workout with a walking desk), combined with gym time and you’ll definitely feel and look your best by springtime.

Do you have any of this exercise equipment? Bring it to the office and tell us your favorite workout!

The post Work Out Gear to Accessorize Your Standing Desk 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 to get your creative juices flowing.

In a previous post we talked about the benefits of standing desks or adjustable height desks—and believe me, there are many.

So in today’s post, I thought we’d focus on one important benefit of standing desks in particular:

They boost creativity!

Artists and business-people alike can rejoice at this news, because as you know, creative juice isn’t just reserved for those working on a painting or the next Pulitzer.

No matter what you do, creativity is the key to doing it better—coming up with new, innovative ideas, having more fun at work, challenging yourself to go above and beyond.

And one great way to boost your creativity is by standing!

Standing desks might seem like a new trend, but really it’s a trend that is circling back around. For centuries, writers and “creative geniuses” have used standing desks. For example, Lewis Carroll, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, and Charles Dickens are just some of the famous writers who have used standing desks over the years.

Why? Because standing desks help the blood flow and respire, which means more energy, focus and productivity.

I can attest to this.

I have been using a standing desk for almost a year now. I noticed a huge difference from remaining seated to standing full time. When I am doing something that requires very logical, critical thinking, I usually sit down. But after only about an hour or so of this, I find that I am getting restless, so, push a button, and presto chango my desk is a standing desk! When I stand up I can move around, get the blood and the creative juices flowing again, and boost my energy.

That is the beauty of an adjustable height desk rather than just a stationary standing desk. Simply push a button and you have another option in height.

Just imagine the work Hemingway could have done with an adjustable height desk!

So even if you’re not a Hemingway or Dickens, a standing or adjustable height desk can boost your creativity. And if you already have a standing or adjustable height desk, here are a few more tips to help get your brain powered up!

• Reward your curiosity
• Be willing to take risks
• Make TIME for creativity
• Brainstorm to inspire new ideas
• Realize that all problems have multiple solutions
• Don’t be afraid to fail

Pair these tips by working at a standing desk or adjustable height desk and you will be unstoppable. You might even be the next Hemingway!

Go forth and create!

What is your creative process like? Share your thoughts below!

The post Boost Creativity with a Standing Desk appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

Adjustable Height desks improve employees productivity at the office.

Ergonomic height adjustable desks are not just the new cool thing in the business world, like bagels were ten years ago and like kale bars are now. Unlike these “healthy” trends, which can wax and wane with the days of the week, the ergonomic height adjustable desk is in the workplace to stay—and for good reason!  According to a study by Dr. Alan Hedge at Cornell University, using one of these ergonomic height adjustable desks throughout the day at work actually makes workers more productive and healthier over all.

So here is a bit of background on this study: 53 computer-using participants, who reported using a mouse for up to 60 percent of their day and a keyboard for at least 50 percent, were asked to start out at a normal, seated desk. Next, 45 of the participants were asked to use an ergonomic height adjustable desk. They weren’t required to stand up rather than sit down—these ergonomic height adjustable desks could either be high or low, after all—but ultimately the participants decided to stand on their own.

Matter of fact, 81 percent reported standing at least once a day, 18 percent reported standing five or more times a day, and 5 percent reported standing three or more times a day. Overall, those people using the ergonomic height adjustable desks reported standing for over 20 percent of their day.

When Dr. Hedge compared the two groups—those using regular desks and those using ergonomic height adjustable desks—there was a huge decrease in musculoskeletal discomfort. For those using regular desks, the average level of musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) was a whopping 43.1—just from sitting down! For those using ergonomic height adjustable desks, though, the average MSD was only 35.1—nearly a 20 percent decrease.

Productivity was up in the group using ergonomic height adjustable desks. 57.5 percent of those using ergonomic height adjustable desks reported that their productivity was “somewhat helped” to “definitely helped” by using their desk, whereas only 20 percent of those using a regular, or fixed height desk, reported an increase in productivity.

With an ergonomic height adjustable desk, workers are more productive in a couple of different ways. First of all, with an ergonomic desk employees can take fewer breaks, because they can move around while they’re still working (I’m doing it right now, actually. Can you guess which song I’m dancing at my desk to?)

Second of all, ergonomic height adjustable desks physically make employees more productive, because when you switch between standing and sitting, your metabolism, circulation, and energy increases. Ultimately this leads to less grogginess and improved efficiency in workers.

And who doesn’t want that?

All over the world, hundreds of companies like Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Google, offer their employees ergonomic height adjustable desks and even treadmill options (Yes, treadmills). The rise in the ergonomic height adjustable desk goes far beyond Silicon Valley though. Schools all over the country are starting to implement them into the classrooms. The National Institute of Health uses them and employees at the FBI and the Mayo Clinic are even standing up at work.

These are companies known for being productive—they have to be! So take a leaf out of their books: Bring ergonomic height adjustable desks into your work place for healthier, happier, and more productive employees.

The post Height Adjustable Desks: Changing the way Offices Work appeared first on Xdesk Blog.