Simple | Pure | Whole Strategies for Incorporating Fitness into Your Day: A Review of the Desk Cycle

Many of us put in long hours in front of the computer, sitting at our desks for long stretches of time. As we work, studies show we are averaging 9.3 hours each day sitting, more time than on any other daily activity including sleeping! Fortunately, there are many creative strategies for incorporating fitness and activity into your day, including at the office!

Unfortunately, more and more research shows that sitting has numerous harmful impacts on our health and wellbeing. Many negative metabolic impacts occur when we are sedentary. Extended sitting slows the body’s glucose metabolism and lowers levels of healthy HDL cholesterol in the blood, increasing the risk of heart disease and diabetes. In fact, one hour of sitting has been shown to reduce the production of fat burning enzymes by as much as 90% .

Getting more activity and functional fitness into your day can improve your mood, health and longevity. Walking meetings, getting a workout in during your lunch break and taking small active breaks during the day can all help keep you healthy and active. Evolving ergonomic solutions can also allow us to work in creative and more active ways.

In response to this emerging research, many unique solutions are being developed to allow us to move while focusing on desk work. You may have seen standing and treadmill desks that allow you to move while working and incorporate fitness into your workday. These are great solutions for those with the time and money to invest in a bulky workstation, but in many work settings a quieter or smaller solution is needed.

A more affordable and compact option to incorporate activity and fitness into your day is an under-desk stationary cycle. I recently had the opportunity to try out the Desk Cycle, a small, lightweight and quiet pedal exerciser that fits discretely beneath your desk.

The Desk Cycle is an affordable option at around $160 retail and is small enough to easily move about. I quickly assembled the pedal exerciser in under 15 minutes using the included tool. I then slipped the Desk Cycle under my work desk and got to work!

At 10 inches tall, The Desk Cycle easily fits under most desks. I have been using it regularly over the past several months and have been impressed with the quiet ease of use. The Desk Cycle utilizes magnetic resistance that provides a quiet, smooth pedal motion. It has eight calibrated resistance settings that are easily adjusted with the turn of a knob, allowing you to adjust the difficulty and intensity level as desired.  While an included display shows speed, distance and calories burned, they also provide an online calculator which allows you to input this data and receive a more accurate assessment of your personal statistics, including the calories burned for your unique weight and size. You plug in your weight, height, gender, speed and resistance to receive a more accurate measure of calorie burn compared to the generic monitor.

While the Desk Cycle doesn’t replace a good hike or regular trip to the gym, I am enjoying it as a fun fitness option for my corporate wellness clients who wish to incorporate more activity into the work day in a quiet and enjoyable way. It is also a nice option for those who are new to exercise or want a light, portable home movement and fitness option. With the various resistance options and ability to go at your desired speed, the Desk Cycle can actually provide a more taxing physical workout than you might expect.  It can help keep tone in the legs and also works the core as you maintain stability.

Of note, finding a balance between activity and rest is paramount to a healthy life, mind and body! While some of us can benefit from more movement throughout the day, multitasking and over-exertion can also be overly draining for those with chronic illness, adrenal fatigue, metabolic imbalances, a history of eating disorders or other health issues. Therefore it is crucial to carefully assess your lifestyle and overall health with a qualified professional before making any changes or addition to your routine or fitness regimen. It is also important to be mindful and avoid anything that could trigger over-exercising, disordered eating or other imbalanced or unhealthy habits.

Disclosure: A review sample device was provided by the manufacturer. All views are my own and I was not paid for this review.

How do you stay active throughout your day? Have you ever tried a treadmill desk, standing desk or Desk Cycle? Is this something you would consider as part of your work day?

Lifestyle interventions like staying active can go a long way towards improved quality of life and reduced healthcare costs. When companies take steps to address these lifestyle issues they are taking action to increase employee productivity, decrease absenteeism and reduce medical costs. Contact me today to find out how I can help your company and employees improve their health and wellbeing while also saving you valuable time and money. 

I provide individualized corporate wellness consulting and packages for employee wellness and education. My most popular corporate wellness package is a 6-12 month package based on my soon-to-be published book, The Simple Pure Whole Wellness Solution  and stress management approaches from The Whole Cure! Services can also be tailored for your company’s unique needs including:

• Corporate wellness seminars on a variety of topics with handouts, healthy living tips and more.
• Wellness Workshops & Cooking Demos virtual instruction on specific ways to improve eating habits, enhance stress management and increase healthy lifestyle activities.
• Consulting on environmental, occupational and employee wellness programs and issues.
• Written materials and copy for wellness tips, health education, healthy recipes and more for inclusion in your corporation’s newsletter, printed materials, emails, intranet or other campaigns.
• Interactive E-programs on a variety of health and wellness topics.
• Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching This cost-effective solution teaches employees in groups or one-on-one how to make better lifestyle and nutrition choices to improve their physical, mind and spirit health. Employees receive guided mentoring to set and reach goals, take responsibility for their health and make positive, sustainable lifestyle choices to improve their workplace performance and health!

**Every body is unique so be sure to check with your health care professional before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. These are products that I use and should not be considered medical advice. AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links used above. Prices are exactly the same for you if your purchase through an affiliate link or a non-affiliate link. I never, ever endorse a product or service that I would not purchase myself. I only share resources that I have personal experience with and can therefore recommend without reservation. Affiliate commission helps to support the maintenance of my blog so I can continue to bring you free, value-filled resources. Thank you for your support!

 

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