We’ve all come across research about how sitting for long periods of time can be bad for your health. In fact, sitting for long periods of time can contribute to cancer and heart diseases, and some researchers have gone as far as to say that sitting is the new smoking.
One of the main contributors to our largely inactive lifestyles is technology. While technological advancements are meant to provide us with ease, they have had an undeniable role in making our lifestyles more and more sedentary.
The best way to counter the negative effects of sitting for such long periods of time is simply to add more movement to our daily lives. But with most of us working desk jobs, how do we reduce the amount of sitting we do during the day?
One simple way of doing so is to adjust your workspace to incorporate healthier working conditions. This doesn’t mean just to improve the atmosphere, but also to change the equipment we use during work hours to promote healthier lifestyles.
Since we spend most of our day at work, using solutions like standing or walking workstations at our workspaces can do a great deal to improve our fitness levels and decrease the amount of time we spend seated.
Under-Desk Treadmills
One solution to the problem is an under-desk treadmill.
An under-desk treadmill – also called a treadmill desk – is exactly what it sounds like. A desk with a treadmill under it, so you can walk while you work. There are plenty of benefits of an under-desk treadmill, ranging from improved mental and physical health to better performance.
Benefits of Under-Desk Treadmill
Better Mood
Getting regular exercise is important for improving your mood. Since exercise releases endorphins, a positive feeling is triggered and you feel a lot better than you would have if you did not get that exercise. By incorporating a steady walking pace while you work, you can get the exercise you need without taking out extra time outside of work hours.
Improved Creativity
Exercise has been shown to have a link to creativity! By adding exercise alongside your work, you can improve the quality of your work due to increased brain activity and get much better results than if you were working idle.
Increased Productivity
Research shows that even simply standing while working can improve your productivity significantly, and this number only goes up when you start walking. Studies conducted on the topic showed that with improved health, employees also showed improved productivity. The quality of their work and their time management showed significant improvement on the days that they exercised.
Promoting Healthy Weight
Being a form of exercise, walking burns calories. Though it’s not a very vigorous workout that burns a lot of them at once, it does result in a calorie burn – and at least, a much higher level than it would if you were just sitting.
Walking while you work can help you burn away all those excess calories, and results in your body being much healthier and more fit. In fact, you can adjust the treadmill to match your workout goals – an incline, or walking at a faster speed for a longer duration can help you lose weight.
Reduces the Risk of Diabetes
Sitting for very long periods of time can also be a problem for people with Type 2 diabetes. Because their body’s insulin production doesn’t work properly, diabetic people have a lot of glucose in their blood. Exercising can help with reducing the blood glucose level which can prevent any further complications. By incorporating a walking workstation in the office, diabetic folks can have fewer concerns about the amount of time they spend sitting.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Any kind of exercise improves blood flow, which in turn decreases blood pressure. Walking is no exception, even if you do it very slowly. From research, we see that people with high blood pressure tend to have much lower readings even less than a day after a walking session.
Maintaining Bone Strength
Improving bone density is an important part of your body’s overall strength, and you can do this by engaging in weight-bearing exercises. Walking is an example of a low-impact weight-bearing exercise, so by incorporating a walking routine during work hours, you can improve the strength and density of your bones.
Incorporating an Under-Desk Treadmill In The Workspace
Keeping in mind the benefits of under-desk treadmills, it is a good idea to incorporate one in your workspace. But these treadmills are not the same as the running treadmills we see in gyms and other such places. That’s why, when looking for an under-desk treadmill, you’d be looking for largely different features than for a running treadmill.
Since they’re not really designed for heavy workouts, or reach very high speeds, they’re not very costly either. Here are some things to consider if you want to bring an under-desk treadmill into your workspace.
Size
Most people will have one dedicated space in their home or office where they want to add the treadmill, so it should be easy to add or remove whenever you want. After all, you won’t spend the entire day walking and may want to sit at some point. The treadmill should be light and ideally foldable so you can put it away whenever you want.
Speed
For an adult, the average walking speed is about 3 mph and most walking treadmills don’t go much higher than this. If you plan on using your under-desk treadmill for some proper training, you should make sure that it has the speed to manage that. Some treadmills will go up to 12 mph, but most of them don’t come with handles for stabilizing yourself, since they’re meant to be kept under your desk.
This can be a challenge if you’re running or fast-walking and should be kept in mind when you buy one.
Any Extra Features
If you’re keeping an under-desk treadmill at your workspace, you’d want one that has a quieter belt so you don’t end up disturbing your colleagues – or even you, if you like working in quiet environments. You’d also want one that has safety features like an automatic stop or an automatic shut down after it hasn’t been in use for a while.
It may also help if you had a remote control to adjust speed and tilt, etc. Some of these under-desk treadmills come with a raised screen where you can adjust controls by hand, but a remote may be much easier, especially if you’re busy working.
Flexispot’s Under Desk Treadmill
Flexispot’s under-desk treadmill is the perfect option for your walking workstation. It comes with a multi-functional LED display that keeps track of your workout performance. From the time you spent walking to speed, distance, and even calories, you can be sure to get an effective workplace workout with this treadmill. You can adjust the speed from 0.5 mph up to 4 mph, depending on what speed works best for you given your physical condition and circumstances.
The treadmill has a quiet, smooth, and powerful motor. It is suitable for users with a weight up to 265 lb, and the motor creates very little noise, making it an easy addition to your workplace without worrying about bothering your coworkers. Whether you want to walk, jog or even run, Flexispot’s Under-Desk Treadmill is perfect for it.
The treadmill also has a spacious exercise surface. The rubber running belt has dimensions of 15” x 41.3” and has a shock-absorbing feature. It is also non-slip, so you can have a more stable and sturdier workout without having to concern yourself with injuries. The wide belt also allows people of all sizes – and all fitness levels! – to use the treadmill and make their workday more productive.
You can connect the treadmill to your phone through the Fitshow app to keep track of your own fitness and even use it as a remote control to adjust settings while you work.
The treadmill comes with transport wheels and is foldable, so you can easily move it around and store it when not in use. Being very thin and lightweight, you can store it away by sliding it under your bed or sofa when not in use and bringing it back to the workspace whenever you need it. Since it needs no installation, all you have to do is bring it out and put it back.
A walking workstation with an under-desk treadmill can be an excellent addition to your workspace to improve productivity and get a decent workout while you’re at it.
