Wellness programs have become a popular solution for employers looking to avoid high medical coverage and keep workers in business. Instead of offering a gym membership or sending encouraging memos, employers are now making even greater efforts toward disease prevention.

Gift cards and other incentives are given to employees who agree to get a physical assessment and make plans to improve the state of their current health. Some companies offer rewards for employees who set and meet specific goals, like improving their blood pressure by so many points.

Health and wellness programs started to receive occasional backlash from employees who felt an invasion of privacy, or from employees who were penalized for not participating. To resolve the issue, companies hired outside businesses to create personal surveys or run the wellness program to ensure privacy protection.

The outside company provides a general overview of the entire office’s health status, like a third of employees have high blood pressure. Personal details of individuals are not shared thus avoiding privacy concerns.

According to the Wall Street Journal, today almost 90 percent of employers offer wellness incentives. Beyond encouraging better health practices outside of the office, employers are changing the way offices function. Instead of vending machines with unhealthy snacks and processed food, employers are bringing in healthier choices for employees. And food court meals are being replaced with nutritious options.

However, wellness programs and incentives may be without visible results unless companies change the way employees work during the day. Countless studies prove that a sedentary lifestyle is directly linked to heart disease, obesity and diabetes. The risk remains even if employees workout at the gym for an hour every day.

Companies have noticed the growing trends of sedentary behavior and how it affects employee wellness and even the number of sick days taken. Now employers are investing in alternative workstations like adjustable desks that encourage more movement and allow employees to refrain from sitting for long periods.

Along with the initial wellness programs, employers have found ways to keep employees moving while at work. One option is creating incentives for employees who stand for so many minutes every hour, or if an employee uses a treadmill adjustable desk, offering a reward once so many miles are completed.

Adjustable desks are an easy way to improve employee health to keep them at the office and help them stay active. According to several studies, the risk of disease is significantly reduced if a person makes small movements throughout the day. This includes switching from sitting to standing. It even has the power to extend your lifespan.

Does your company offer incentives and rewards if you make an effort to improve your health? How have you seen your workplace change once these programs are in place?

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You can perform these poses at the office, but if you want to avoid strange looks from your boss, they’re really easy to do in your home.

One move is the standard Downward Facing Dog, which is used to decrease anxiety and increase your hand and wrist strength (it’s great for constantly typing hands!).

If you’re really feeling inspired, check out these other poses from the Huffington Post, here. These are also geared toward relieving a long day behind a desk.

Try these out after work today and tell us what you think!

[Infographic Via]

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Since it’s the end of January, take a moment to do a mental recap of your New Year’s Resolutions and how they’ve faired so far. Don’t be discouraged if you barely made it past the first week, there’s still plenty of time to reach your weight loss goals this year. Fortunately, you or someone you know happens to own an adjustable height desk, so you can workout at work to gain more success in your weight loss ventures.

If you’ve followed the Xdesk blog, you’re aware that even a thirty minute or hour workout every day isn’t enough to offset the effect of sitting eight or nine hours behind your desk. So technically, if you have been exercising with no results, you can blame a sedentary lifestyle.

But don’t let your desk job stop you from working out at work! You don’t have to do an intense, sweat-inducing exercise; it’s the small movements from sitting to standing throughout your day that have the biggest impact. Just standing alone has the power to burn some serious calories.

If you really want to take it to the next level, add in the Xdesk Fit Treadmill. The Xdesk Fit is a great accessory that’s designed to work with all Xdesk models. It’s small, and equipped with advanced technology for a seamless “workout.” The Bluetooth system records your walking history to an Online Fitness Club to track your progress. And it’s all easily controlled with a digital LED display console.

The majority of people are unsuccessful in their weight loss goals because they typically dive in head first without a plan. Preparation and strategy is essential to success. Sitting all day, eating poorly and not exercising are typical habits, and old habits are hard to break. Once you’ve reevaluated your New Year’s Resolution, develop a detailed game plan of how you’re going to reach these goals.

For one, you can start by standing more often throughout the day. The data speaks for itself; people who stand more experience greater concentration, more energy, and weight loss. Don’t be afraid to workout at work.

When you develop a strategy, get your coworkers involved to keep each other accountable and on track. Chances are they’ve made the same weight loss resolutions you have. You can even turn your strategy into friendly competition between everyone in the office. The person who loses the most weight earns a free (healthy) lunch!

As previously mentioned, don’t be discouraged if your New Year’s Resolution hasn’t gotten very far. There are small lifestyle changes you can make to get back on track in no time. Standing more often, using a treadmill desk and getting others involved will have a significant impact on your results.

The post New Year’s Resolution Recap: Workout at Work appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

After a bit of research, we’ve come up with a few tips on how to manage stress at work, from sprucing up your workspace to having better time management skills.

Practice Time Management
When you first arrive at the office, take a second to settle in and prepare yourself. Take a few deep breaths or read a news article instead of diving into things head on. Then develop a priority list of tasks and work through as much as you can. For pressing deadlines or large projects, block a portion of your day to focus on that without any interruption.

It may not be extremely appealing, but try to tackle the task you don’t want to do first to remove some stress at work. Then it’s out of the way and you won’t have to worry about it when the mid-morning rush picks up or the day starts to come to a close.

Organize Your Workspace
Think of it this way: mess equals stress. If papers pile up around you, or regular junk, you may notice your stress level at work start to rise. Focus becomes difficult when your desk is littered with cards, papers or anything else that’s unnecessary.

Before you’ve even developed a list of things to do, organize your desk and have everything you need within arm’s reach. Then you won’t have to stress about finding that lost phone number or random Post-it note. It’s always calming to have familiar things around you, like family photos or personal touches to make your workspace your own.

Take a Lunch Break
We’ve mentioned this before, but a lunch break will greatly reduce office stress. You may not have a full hour or even half an hour, but 20 minutes of stretching, walking and eating a healthy lunch can completely turn around a hectic workday for the better.

No matter your time limit, get away from your desk. Your mind and body will thank you for it once the afternoon hits.

Improve Your Communication Skills
Improving communication skills to help eliminate office stress starts with bettering how you view yourself. Instead of seeking approval or blaming yourself for things that are out of your control, try to focus on the work itself. Then learn to actively communicate your needs, or talk with a trusted coworker about the stress you’re experiencing. They may have some great advice about how to handle it head-on.

Leave it at the Office
Occasionally it’s unavoidable to not take work home, but for the most part try to leave it at the office. Many workers suffer from a lack of work/life balance, which ultimately affects productivity and your stress level. Once the day comes to a close, look back at the things you’ve completed and take note of your accomplishments.

The commute or public transit ride on the way home can be rough. Before you leave, spend a few minutes in your office in silence without frantically worrying about everything you didn’t accomplish. There is always tomorrow.

How do you manage office stress?

The post How to Manage Stress at Work appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

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.

Lose weight the right way this spring by incorporating your treadmill desk into your workout regimen.

Oh the ever-so-daunting words: BATHING SUIT SEASON. For many of us, this is a sharp jolt back to reality, and often to better, healthier habits after a long winter of “hibernation” from the gym and eating warm comfort foods.

And what do we do when the weather heats up? Typically, we go on some kind of crash diet to lose weight, hike up our time spent at the gym, cut back on sweets and calories, and maybe get suckered into diet pills or powders (Danger Will Robinson, DANGER!).

This might result in losing some weight just in time for that trip to the Bahamas, but you’ll probably put it right back on afterward—that and more. That’s the thing about fasting and amping up your workouts—the results might be quick, but they are not long-lasting and they are certainly not healthy.

So what should you do? Make lifestyle changes. Choose whole, healthy foods—not as a diet, but as a permanent adjustment to the way you eat. Don’t starve yourself. When you starve yourself or deny yourself the foods your body craves, you’ll just end up eating more later, and when you do, you will absorb those calories much more than you would if you weren’t starving.

Exercise is key, not only to losing weight, but to living a healthy and energetic lifestyle. But don’t go crazy with it! The best thing you can do is move throughout the day and then after work (or before, or whenever), engage in some more strenuous physical activity—running, weights, swimming, Zumba, dancing—whatever gets your heart pumping, your sweat dripping, and makes you smile (or at least makes you smile afterward!).

The tricky part, and the most important part, are the 8 hours of the day that you’re not free to walk around outside or go for a workout. After all, studies show that working out for an hour a day is not enough to offset the problems related to sitting all day. So how can you maximize the time you spend at work?

This is where the Xdesk Fit Treadmill desk comes in. With a treadmill desk you can get your recommended 10,000 steps per day without so much as leaving the office or pausing what you’re doing. Feel free to increase the speed of your treadmill desk when you’re on the phone or reading, and feel free to slow down your treadmill desk when you’re typing or doing some serious thinking.

Moving on your treadmill desk at a slow, steady pace throughout the day will not only get your brain buzzing, but it will get the calories burning! Studies show that by simply using a treadmill desk throughout the day, you can lose up to 50-70 pounds in a year, compared to just sitting at work during those times.

Using a treadmill desk is also a wonderful way to stretch your muscles and warm up before heading off to your more intensive workout. This will not only help prevent pulled muscles, but it will also boost your calorie burn during the workout, as you’ll be limber, warmed up, and your body is ready to get going.

When you hear the words “bathing suit season,” don’t freak out and buy the latest diet fad book, or go on a gym class binge—take it easy, take it slow, and do it the right way this year.

Change your life habits, get a treadmill desk, and then maybe next year you won’t have cause to flip out when it comes time to put on that bikini.

Do you use a treadmill desk? Have you noticed a difference in your weight? Share your experience below!

The post It’s Bathing Suit Season, Are you Ready? appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

These simple exercises performed behind your adjustable height desk will help you stay in shape.

By standing behind your adjustable height desk you’re already burning more calories and bettering your health than if you were sitting down. And while that’s great and all, do you ever get bored just standing around?

That’s the great thing about an adjustable height desk. You can move around, you can alternate between sitting, standing, and somewhere in between. You can pace, you can dance, and yes, you can even get in a quick workout.

That’s what I’ll be going over in today’s post: working out behind your standing desk. It might sound a little bit…odd, but getting in a quick and simple workout while you’re at work is a great way to keep your energy up, stay in shape, and stay sharp throughout the day.

Of course I’m not asking you to jog five miles in between emails—for one thing, you’d come back all sweaty, and there simply isn’t time to do that in the workday. The workouts below are simple, they’re quick, and you can do many of them right behind your adjustable height desk.

Enjoy!

Legs

• Football Feet. You can do this seated or standing with your adjustable height desk. Simply tap your feet rapidly, like you’re running on fast-forward, for about 1 minute. Rest and repeat.

• Step Climber. This is the most basic workout: Take the stairs to your office. If that isn’t tough enough, jog them or take them two at a time.

• Calf Raises. Behind your adjustable height desk, raise your heels slowly off of the floor and then lower them. I’m doing them as I type right now—you won’t even need to take a break.

• Lunges. You can do these in place or walking around your office. You might even start lunging down the hall to the printer instead of walking—just ignore the giggles.

• Leg extensions. This is one you’ll need to do with your adjustable height desk in a seated position. Sit down, extend your right leg until it is level with your hip, and hold it for as long as you can. Then repeat with the left side.

Arms

• Spinny-arm-things. Okay, there isn’t a name for this, but here’s what you do. Stand behind your adjustable height desk, extend your arms straight out from your shoulders like a T, then rotate them in small circles for about a minute. Do the same motion the other direction. It sounds simple, but after about 100 of them, you’ll feel it!

• Shoulder raises. Raise your shoulders to your ear, hold, and then relax. Repeat. Easy.

• Triceps dips. Put your arms behind your back, resting your palms either on your chair or on your adjustable height desk in a very low position. Raise and lower your body, using the triceps as your lever.

• Push-ups. This is where your adjustable height desk really becomes a workout tool. Adjust the height of your adjustable height desk so that it is a bit above your navel. Do 10-15 push-ups here. Then lower it so that it is below your navel, about at your hips. Do 10-15 push-ups here. Finally, when you can’t lower your adjustable height desk anymore, you can do a set of push-ups on the ground, either from your knees or toes.

• Flyers. This is very similar to the “spinny-arm-things” listed above. This time, though, you’ll stretch your arms out in front of you until your hands touch, and then behind until your hands touch (hopefully). Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Full Body and Cardio

• Chair Squats. Squat down, knees over ankles, until you are almost sitting in your chair. Let your butt tap the seat, stand up, and then do it again.

• Wall sits. Lean up against the wall, but squat down as though you are sitting in a chair. Stay here for about one minute, squeeze your abs tight into your back, and do not rest your hands on your legs for support.

• Squat jumps. Squat down, touch the ground in between your legs with your hands, and then jump up, reaching your arms above your head.

• Backward leg extensions. Using your adjustable height desk for support, stand on one leg and reach the other leg behind you, squeezing your glutes and the back of your thighs. Pulse your leg for about 20-30 reps, then switch sides and repeat.

• Jumping jacks. This classic workout is great for the office. Just enough to get your heart rate up a little, but not enough to drench you in sweat before a meeting.

Stay in shape behind your adjustable height desk, or while getting to and around the office with these 15 simple workouts. Even if you’re not a gym member or marathon-runner, you can still stay healthy—just by going to work!

Do you use your adjustable height desk for office workouts? Share your workout ideas below!

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