Working on a desk seems easier than doing physical labor, but those of you who need to plant themselves on a table from 9 to 5 will disagree. In fact, there are several studies suggesting that sitting can lead to swelling and tiring your whole body – not just the legs – which may lead to fatigue.
There are several ways you can stay active during your job and tackle fatigue, with one of the prime ones being anti-fatigue accessories. These accessories are actually more common in the workplace than you’d think. Examples include, but aren’t limited to:
· Cushions
· Hammocks
· Desk organizer
· Under desk drawer
· Mouse pad
· Cable spine
· Caster
· Paper shredder
· Humidifier
· Body massager
· Smart bike trainer stand and more
These anti-fatigue accessories won’t really help you do your work but they will definitely make the process a lot easier. Furthermore, since you won’t find yourself overworked or fatigued at the end of the day, you can actually go home and feel refreshed, thus leading a better life altogether.
In this article, we will look at how these anti-fatigue accessories help with some examples of the best ones you can buy. Let’s dive in!
Anti-Fatigue Accessories for Your Work Desk
1. Adjustable Standing Desks
Before the pandemic, 60% of employers had started giving their employees the option of providing them with standing desks if needed. This shows that the benefits offered by standing desks are well-known by all, how standing is much healthier than the sedentary lifestyle almost every office working lives with.
Standing desks all follow a similar principle; letting you work while you stand. While for some you may have to bend your back, the main idea with others is to keep your back straight while you work. That is why employers often choose to go with fixed-height desks, such as our Pro Series desks.
Not only do employees get the option of adjusting them to stay at their height, the Pro desks are also extremely roomy and with more capacity (up to 275 lbs.). Employees get the option of either increasing or decreasing the height of your desk when you need to sit or stand, thus helping you maintain a degree of movement in your legs and avoiding fatigue.
These tables can go as low as 23.8 inches and as high as 49.4 inches, thus being perfect for almost all heights. Non-adjustable desks are fixed in one position and can therefore end up being counterproductive.
Standing on your feet all day might seem easier than it actually is. While standing desks help – quite a lot – they aren’t enough to help you get rid of day-end fatigue. You might have to couple them up with other accessories as well.
2. Anti-Fatigue Mats
It has been our experience that working at these desks becomes much easier with anti-fatigue mats, each designed to reduce the stress on your joints and strain on muscles. The mats also help keep reduce pressure on your ankles and heels.
Research shows that these mats also reduce pressure on your back. This is important because if your legs are tired, you can simply sit down and within a few minutes, they will recover. However, if your back gets tired, you will have to lie down.
These mats are ergonomic and cushioned just enough to not be too comfortable, but at the same time, enough to provide the relief your joints need. When selecting a mat, make sure it can be easily tucked away underneath your desk when not in use.
A prime example of an anti-fatigue mat is our Standing Desk Anti-Fatigue Mat MT1.
3. Monitor Mounts/Stands
These mounts serve to increase the height of your monitor and go exceptionally well with standing desks. Tall people can especially benefit from these mounts, but that is not to say that they don’t offer any value to others.
These mounts also go particularly well with monitor arms. The biggest benefits boasted by the setup includes helping with:
· Backaches
· Neck pains
· Eye strain
· Creating a compact and focused workplace
· Keeping tidy and more
You can get single or dual monitor stands, such as the Dual Monitor Mount F7D/F8LD and Single Monitor Mount F7/F8L, among a range of others. These stands don’t just help reduce fatigue when used with standing desks, but with ordinary ones as well.
4. Hammocks
You know the feeling of putting your feet up after a long day at work? The utter relaxation you feel when you suspend your feet in the air and can actually feel the blood rushing into your heels?
Under-desk hammocks help you resolve a similar issue, thus being the perfect solution for those of you looking to rest their feet while you stand at your desk. You can simply put your feet in the hammock and suspend them for a while, recovering from tiredness and sore legs much quicker.
The goal with under-desk hammocks is to improve blood circulation not just in the feet but also in the neck, shoulders, and lower back. Hammocks have been found particularly useful for individuals who suffer from chronic back pain due to poor posture.
Another very important role played by hammocks is that you can use them for some basic exercises to get your blood pumping such as leg raises (seated) and dips. A prime example of a high-quality foot hammock that you can invest in is the Protable Under Desk Foot Hammock FH01.
5. File Cabinet
One of the biggest contributors to fatigue is mental stress. A cluttered workstation with files, staplers, phones, and more can contribute significantly to tiring you out quickly. File cabinets and under desk drawers present the ideal solution to this issue.
For some, these drawers and cabinets may come attached with the desk itself. While having an under desk file cabinet might not be the best idea for seated workstations, they do tend to be particularly helpful and aesthetically appealing for standing desks.
Generally, file cabinets for the workplace come with two drawers on top and one larger cabinet, but you can also go with different designs that suit your needs perfectly. As for under desk drawers, they need to be attached to the surface of your desk for easy accessibility.
The main goal is to help you organize your equipment and files and to help you maintain a tidier workstation. The tidier it is, the more stress-free you’ll be. Memo boards present a similar solution – especially cork boards. You can attach your documents on it easily and make the most of your workstation.
You can browse through our collection of file cabinets here. As for examples of memo boards, you can either go for the Cork Board Bulletin Board or Magnetic Dry Erase Board, depending on your needs. We would like to point out that in many cases, memo boards and modesty panels can also be combined to help you sort your belongings, reduce clutter, and effectively decrease your chances of experiencing fatigue.
6. Cable Spine
Last, but not the least, is the cable spine. These are also anti-fatigue accessories that help by reducing clutter and giving you a clean and aesthetically appealing work space. Standing desks are particularly plagued by being visibly unappealing.
The goal is to tie off all cables neatly in such a manner that they don’t come in the way and make more room on and around your desk for you to feel more comfortable, reduce trip hazards, and mitigate damage to cables as well due to mishandling. This, in turn, helps reduce costs as well.
FlexiMounts offers a range of cable spines that you can go for, such as the Cable Spine CMP017, Cable Management Tray CMP502, and the Cable Management Kit.
Bottom Line: Anti-Fatigue Accessories for a Healthier Lifestyle
These are just some of the options you have available in terms of accessories for your work desk that you can use to reduce and eventually eliminate fatigue. We would recommend finding a place that offers tailor-made accessories for the desk you have. The best way to ensure your accessories fit is to buy them or get them custom-made from the original supplier of your desk.
You might need some time to get used to these new accessories and make the most out of them – just like the adjustment period needed for standing desks.
Having said that, the accessories we motioned above aren’t just limited for use with standing desks but can also help you make the most of your sitting or standing experience. Our review above represents just the tip of the iceberg and can actually be much more beneficial toward helping you live a more active lifestyle. Visit FlexiSpot for more information and similar products.
