1. Never slouch or slump to achieve good posture.
This claim is false (we told you you’d be surprised). If you only sit or stand in a straight, usually unnatural, position, you’re not allowing your body to experience a full range of motion. Good posture supports the ability of easy, fluid movement, and flexing into a slouch gives you more freedom to easily change positions. Just make sure not to sit in that position too long, posture is about movement.

2. Crossing your legs leads to varicose veins.
False! Although this claim isn’t entirely true, it does lead to negative side effects. Crossing your legs can lead to lower back pain. And when you cross your legs it leads to increased pressure and locks your body into a fixed position.

3. Stand or sit straight to achieve good posture.
Wrong. Standing or sitting straight up to achieve proper alignment is actually doing nothing for you. It’s fixing the body in one position, without allowing room for movement. You’re familiar with the position: shoulders pushed back at attention, spine overly extended, and the face contorted into apparent discomfort. Posture is dynamic, so you can be ready to move in any direction at a moment’s notice. Bad posture is fixed, uncomfortable and unnatural.

4. Bad posture causes scoliosis.
There has never been a study linking bad posture to scoliosis. Scoliosis stems from unknown causes.

5. There’s only good and bad posture.
The idea of bad posture leads to people locking themselves in that uncomfortable position described in Number 3. Then movement completely stops and you’re stuck in one position. That position doesn’t set the standard for what’s good and what’s bad. Posture should instead be viewed as an idea without hard rules. The human body is different, so finding an individual position that encourages movement and comfort will vary for everyone.

6. Sitting at a computer all day ruins posture.
Fact. Beyond adversely affecting your health, sitting does cause bad posture. It causes your neck to strain and shoulders to hunch, but worst of all, it keeps you in a fixed position. Make sure to keep adjusting and moving in your chair during the day, or you can opt for standing up (which we highly recommend).

So instead of remaining in your chair all day, get up and move! You don’t have to awkwardly march to the water cooler with straight shoulders and a straight spine, just move. Saunter over to your coworker’s desk for a chat instead of sending an email, or walk around the block during lunch. Stand and stretch behind your desk every so often to encourage the most important quality of posture: Movement.

[Via Huffington Post and Ladies Home Journal]

The post Bad Posture Myths Revealed appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

You can find time to enjoy the summer and manage your workout schedule behind a walking desk.

In a matter of days, summer vacation will officially begin. The kids will be home from school, those long, sun-filled days will be the norm, pool parties, days at the beach, on the lake… In short: bathing suits, bathing suits, bathing suits.

The paradox of summer is that it’s bathing suit season, but with the kids at home and so much going on, there is hardly any time to work out!

That’s why a treadmill desk like the Xdesk Fit is such a wonderful option, not only for those trying to lose weight, but for anyone with health in mind. Treadmill desks in general are great, but the Xdesk Fit treadmill desk in particular has things that the others don’t.

• The Xdesk Fit treadmill is an unobtrusive 29”x 70.5” (outside dimensions) and has modern styling with sleek lines. This desk is the height of technology—not only because of its adjustable height, but because of the treadmill itself. It comes with an LED digital display that you can place on top of your setup—no matter where it is positioned. This will list your walking time, calories burned, distance traveled and your speed.

• This 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!

• The Xdesk Fit walking desk also comes with added safety. Most of these 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 a walking desk from Xdesk, the belt will know when you step off and will stop after just 20 seconds.

Aside from walking while you’re working, here are a few other tips to help you shed that winter insulation and feel confident and healthy in your swimsuit this summer.

• Snack smartly. Yes it’s true, snacking can be good—if you choose the right foods. The best picks are filling, protein-packed snacks, such as one stick of string cheese, a tablespoon of peanut butter on a piece of fruit, or a medium-size bowl of edamame.

• Turn off the T.V. If you’re mindlessly eating while watching TV, research shows you can take in up to 40 percent more calories than usual. Texting, driving, or any other distracting activity during a meal can also result in eating too much.

• Build your muscle mass. Do sculpting workouts (push-ups, lunges, weights, etc.), at least three times a week. This will help boost your metabolism—and give you a healthy toned look.

• Steer clear of sugary drinks. Studies show that liquids travel too quickly through your stomach for your brain to notice the calorie consumption, so all those sugary drinks (not to mention high-calorie beers!) may not feel like they’re filling you up, but they really are—filling you up with calories.

• Eat your veggies. Nutritionists sometimes joke that “no one ever got fat eating carrots.” Truer words have never been spoken! Eat lots of veggies and leafy greens. These will keep you fuller longer and boost your energy, metabolism, and overall health.

So if you’re trying to lose weight for summer but find that you don’t have time (and who can blame you?!), hop behind your treadmill desk during the workday, and be mindful of what you’re putting into your body.

Any other tips for healthy weight loss? Share your thoughts below!

The post Healthy Ways to Lose Weight 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.

An intense workout may be doing more harm to your health than good.

Attention athletes, gym rats, crossfitters, tabata-lovers, and exercise addicts in general! I have something to say to you, and you’re not going to like it:

Slow down.

I know, these words are akin to blasphemy to the serious trainers out there—myself included. But I realized recently that I have been pushing myself so hard for so many years, that at 26 my body is already starting to protest! So I decided to tone it down a bit and sprinkle in some more moderate exercises into my regimen.

Experts agree that moderate exercise is important to your overall health. Here’s why:

• You’ll live longer. What could be more important than this? According to a recent study by the Cooper Institute in Dallas, joggers who moved at a moderate intensity (10-11 minute miles) had a lower risk of mortality than those who ran more than 20 miles a week at a faster pace.

• You’ll reduce your risk of injury. When you work out too hard, you deplete your body’s energy, and you become more likely to injure yourself. Studies show that if you work out intensely for 5 or more days per week, you can increase your chance of injury. So unless you’re training for something for a short period of time—take it easy.

• The Tough Stuff Will be easier. When you train regularly at a lower intensity, your body will be healthier and have more energy for when you do participate in the tough, intense work outs.

• You’ll Enjoy Working Out More. I know, sounds like a paradox to some people, right? But yes, working out can be fun. And if you’re hating your workouts, maybe it is because you are pushing yourself beyond a natural level. So mix it up with some moderate exercise as well (walking, yoga, light jogging, etc.).

• You’ll sleep better. This didn’t make sense to me at first either—my thought is that the harder the workout, the better I’ll sleep. Turns out, if you’re not sleeping well, it could be because of a tough workout later in the day. When you push yourself hard, your adrenaline runs high. If you’re working out after work or a few hours before sleep, you might still be on your post-workout high when your head hits the pillow. A moderate workout won’t make your adrenaline rush—something to keep in mind for all of you late-night exercisers.

These are just a handful of reasons why moderate exercise is a GOOD thing. But how can we squeeze moderate exercise into our already busy weeks?

One thing people are doing more and more is using their work hours to get some exercise in. Go for a walk in between tasks, walk down the hall to talk to a co-worker, rather than send an e-mail, park further away from the building, take the stairs, or better yet, start using a treadmill desk.

The Xdesk Fit is the desk for those healthy-minded office workers, and a perfect way to mix some moderate exercise into your routine.

Do you have an intense workout regimen? Share your thoughts below about “slowing it down” a bit with some moderate exercise!

The post Attention Athletes: Slow Down! appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

Practice makes perfect when trying to improve your posture.

In our last post we talked about what good posture should look like when you’re sitting, standing, lifting, or just living. Now I know I may have mentioned this once or twice (or 50 or 60) times before, but a height adjustable desk is a great way to practice proper posture. In my last job, I was at a traditional seated desk for most of everyday and my posture was terrible. Now, I work behind my height adjustable desk. My posture is better, my core is stronger, and my back doesn’t hurt anymore. Of course there are other ways to practice good posture away from your height adjustable desk, and so today in this final post for Posture 101, I thought I’d go over some tips and tricks.

Enjoy!

Stretches

Lower back Stretch: Get on all fours with your fingers facing forward. Start by dropping your head and raising your back as you push the shoulder blades upward. Repeat in the opposite direction by pushing your chest downward and arching your lower back. If you’re familiar with yoga, this is simply the “Cat and Cow” stretch.

Knees to chest: While lying on your back, pull both knees to your chest with your hands behind your knees. Keep your tailbone on the floor and hold this stretch for at least 15 seconds. Then, if it feels good, feel free to rock up and down along your spine, giving yourself a nice little massage.

Shoulder blade squeeze: Put your arms straight out in front of you at shoulder height. Now swing both your arms horizontally towards your back, like you are trying to reconnect your fingers behind your back, and then swing your arms back to the front. Do this slowly several times.

Shoulder blade lift: Extend your arms in front of you at shoulder height. Next, swing your arms vertically in opposite directions while keeping your arms straight. Do this slowly several times.

Core twist: Lie down on your back and cross your right leg over your body, so it is perpendicular to your left. Take your left hand and gently push on the left side of your lower back to twist your core in the opposite direction of your leg. Leave your right arm extended perpendicular to your body and gaze out over your fingertips. Do this again on the other side.

Exercises

These are a couple of exercises for your lower back that don’t require any equipment. If you can get into the gym, though, feel free to add weights, use the machines, and use a bar or weights for rowing, which will strengthen your upper back as well as your lower.

Back extensions: Lying face down on the floor with your hands behind head, slowly lift your upper body a few inches off the ground and hold for about five seconds. Then lower, and repeat several times.

Superman: Again, lie face down on the floor with your arms extended overhead. As you lift up your right arm, lift up your left leg and squeeze your abs and back muscles. Lower, and lift the opposite arm and leg (your left arm with your right leg.) Repeat this several times as well.

Weird-Arm-Circle-Things: Okay, I don’t really have a name for this one, but it is one of my favorites. Extend your arms straight out at your sides, in the shape of a T. Lower  your shoulder blades, squeeze them together like you’re trying to crush a pencil in between them, and then just make small circles with your arms, forward and then backward. It sounds simple, I know, but after about a hundred, you should start to feel it in your shoulders and in your upper back.

Tips

Pad your chair: Try adding a lumbar support pat to your office chair for when you’re sitting down.

Be on the edge of your seat: If you are sitting down at your height adjustable desk, or anywhere really, be sure to sit on the edge of your seat. This will automatically engage your core muscles and make you zip up your spine, as you aren’t leaning back against anything.

Sit on an exercise ball: If you want to take it one step further, try sitting on an inflatable exercise ball instead of a chair while you’re height adjustable desk is lowered.

Take breaks: Of course moving your height adjustable desk between sitting and standing is a great way to take breaks without pausing in your task, but when you can, get out of the office! Take a quick walk, or make some trips down the hall to the water cooler. Switching between sitting, standing, and moving will keep you healthier, happier, and improve your posture.

How do you feel after a long day of sitting versus a day of using your height adjustable desk? Comment below!

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