Lives have gotten extremely busy nowadays. Everyone seems to be running short on time. It has started to feel as if 24 hours of the day is no more sufficient to get everything done. As a result of hectic schedules, the one thing that we compromise on most is our health and fitness.
The first priority of everyone today is to get their work done, and getting that done pretty much takes up all the energy and time, leaving neither time nor energy to work on ensuring health and fitness.
Most people are leading sedentary lifestyles, which means they spend most of their day sitting, with little to no physical activity. And believe it or not, as much as a sedentary lifestyle may sound comfortable (who doesn't like to sit comfortably all day long?), it's actually detrimental to your health. But is there anything that you can do? You may think not, but in reality, there's a way you can incorporate physical activity into your routine without having to spare time from your work schedule.
What if we tell you that it's possible to work out while you're at work, without taking a break? It sounds too good to be true, right? But it's actually very true. Thanks to the latest innovation in the world of fitness – the desk bike!
What is a Desk Bike?
A desk bike is just what you think it is – a bike with a desk! It features a desk on the top and a seat and paddles on the bottom so that you can work and paddle at the same time. It's a desk and seat combination, so you won't need a separate desk or work chair. The seat of a desk bike comes with an adjustable height feature that allows you to adjust the height of the seat enough to bring you to the right height for the desk so that you can work in the correct posture and paddle as you work. Using a desk bike offers all the benefits of riding a bike, only that you aren't covering any distance, and you're working out while you work! Now, that's what we're cool with!
Benefits of Using a Desk Bike
Using a desk bike offers tremendous benefits. It might improve your lifestyle without you having to put in any extra effort. In fact, it might help you achieve your fitness goals without having to compromise on your work. With a desk bike, you can enjoy the best of both worlds (work and fitness)!
We've listed some of the biggest benefits of using a desk bike like the Home office All-in-One Desk Bike/Bike Workstation V9 below to help you understand how it can help you improve your overall health and fitness.
1. Burns Calories
The first (also the best) benefit that desk bikes offer is they help you burn calories. Sitting isn't doing you any favors in this regard. When you pedal while working, you're burning calories. You won't even feel like you're working out. Pedaling at a medium speed which is slower than the speed you would ride a bike on the road burns about 100 to 150 calories an hour. If you want to lose weight but your hectic schedule leaves no room for exercise, a desk bike can help you reach your goals without compromising on your work!
2. Improves Concentration
Another benefit of using a desk bike is improved concentration. The activity greatly influences the level of focus at work in your brain. When you're stressed at work, the brain releases a hormone that triggers the release of a stress hormone, cortisol. This hormone can aggravate your stress and come in the way of your performance at work. Pedaling is a form of exercise that promotes the release of feel-good hormones (endorphins). These hormones help reduce stress by reducing the levels of cortisol. This activity reduces stress levels, helps you concentrate on your work, and delivers higher-quality results.
3. Improves Overall Health
Riding a desk bike improves your overall health. You may argue that how can a desk bike improve overall health when it's just the lower body that's being worked? Well, when you pedal, you're exercising. Your body perceives it as an exercise and offers all the great benefits that any exercise would do. This includes burning calories, strengthening the leg muscles, and enhancing heart health. Although pedaling is a very subtle exercise, the benefits are not-so-subtle. You may not be able to see the difference immediately, but riding a desk bike will benefit you even if you can't see or feel the difference in a few days!
4. Enhances Mobility
When you're sitting in your chair for long hours, your legs and back may start to feel stiff. Also, your body goes into a state of inactivity from sitting for prolonged durations. This can affect your mobility, even if you don't realize it. When you stand and walk after hours of being seated, you'll feel your legs and hips have tightened, and moved your legs feel like a task. However, when you use a desk bike, your legs and joints are in motion, preventing the leg and hip muscles from stiffening. It also ensures a healthy flow of blood to and from the legs. And this is the reason why mobility doesn't feel like a task when you're using a desk bike.
5. Enhances Mood
Pedaling, as you know by now, is a form of exercise, and every exercise promotes the release of endorphins in the body. Endorphins are more commonly referred to as feel-good hormones that instantly make you feel happier and better. As we've already explained earlier, endorphins also help reduce stress by lowering the stress hormone cortisol levels. This means using a desk bike at work will ensure a good mood and the most productive you! A desk bike is particularly beneficial for you if you're often stressed at work, and you feel your stress is interfering with your performance.
6. Helps with Fidgeting
Have you found yourself fidgeting often? Fidgeting is a result of a build-up of nervous energy. People fidget when they're nervous, and fidgeting helps them use the energy built up. Using a desk bike can help you. Pedaling is a gentle exercise that utilizes energy in a better way. When you use a desk bike, not only does your nervousness dissipate, but you do your overall health a favor too.
7. Helps You Achieve Your Fitness Goals
The best thing about a desk bike is that you can adjust the tension according to your fitness goals. You can set the resistance to a low level if all you want to use it to keep your muscles moving. However, if you wish to achieve bigger fitness goals like weight loss, you can also increase the tension. So, no matter your fitness level or goals, a desk bike can help you any way you want!
8. Reduces the Risk of Type-2 Diabetes
The lack of physical activity can change the way your body utilizes sugars. Not moving around much during the day will lead to numerous sugar spikes, resulting in insulin resistance and increasing the chances of type-2 diabetes. However, pedaling at a desk bike work up your body and improves insulin sensitivity, thereby reducing the risk of type-2 diabetes.
9. Helps Control Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can lead to different health conditions if not controlled and managed effectively. Using a desk bike can help lower blood pressure in no time. Pedaling is a subtle and gentle exercise that doesn't overwork your heart but still offers tremendous benefits. It's a known fact that exercise lowers blood pressure, and what better exercise than pedaling at work, where you don't have to sweat or exhaust yourself?
10. Helps Improve Posture
One of the best benefits of a desk bike is how it helps you improve your posture. Most people sit in a slouched posture that strains their back, neck, and shoulders and puts them at risk of posture-related musculoskeletal disorders. However, when you use a desk bike, you've got to sit in an upright posture. Otherwise, the pedals won't move. You sit with your back straight and prevent the misalignment of the spine due to a slouched posture.
Closing Word
A desk bike might be the fitness equipment you didn't know you needed. It makes it possible for you to work and work out simultaneously so that you don't have to compromise on any one thing. If you're looking for a way to excel at work without compromising on your health and fitness, using a desk bike might just be it!
