5 Cheaper, Smaller Alternatives to Treadmill Desks
Julie Bitely
| 3 min read
Being healthy in the workplace is a challenge many office-dwellers face. We often talk about the walking meeting and walking desk, but realize that many can’t afford such an option or just don’t have the space for it.
For those people, fear not! There are other ways to be active throughout the day and they don’t require a fancy treadmill desk. Check out these five walking-desk alternatives that are as economical as they are size-effective:
- Use your phone timer: Your cell phone is the perfect device to count down to physical breaks. The updates and reminders you’re constantly checking for will finally serve a purpose! Set a day pattern and time pattern (once an hour for ten minutes is usually sufficient) and let your phone do all the work keeping track of when you need to be up and moving.
- Get the team involved: We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, group fitness is an easy way to rope the office into getting healthy. If you know you’re going to be on a phone call for a meeting, take it with headphones to go. Or offer to walk a lap around the floor for your next one-on-one meeting. It may not be doable to invest in individual treadmill desks, but adding one to your building’s common space may be a good option for many different people to use.
- Wear a fitness tracker: If you’re a health buff, investing in a Jawbone, Garmin or FitBit tracking bracelet may be worth your while. Though they’re a little more pricey, they do track your wellness to a T and are a lot less costly than a treadmill desk.
- Test an app: The free application, StandApp, reminds you when to stand up and provides videos showing exercises you can do at your desk. The app also encourages you to remain standing for five full minutes, even if you’re not being active. If nothing else, the reminders can serve as a break during the day.
- Use your extra space: Place a stepping stool, rocking footrest (a footrest with rounded edges providing motion while you sit) or other platform underneath your desk. Take little steps or make rocking patterns as you work. It’s not the ideal amount of motion, but is better than doing nothing at all.
How else do you get moving throughout the day? Let us know in the comments!
Photo credit: thebarrowboy
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