Desk Tool
The most time effective and productive fitness trend of 2016 would have to be deskercise. We have the perfect tool to make it productive.
The BBC and the Telegraph are both running articles regarding the office body beatdown caused by inactivity and the dangers of sitting for too long at work. This is based on the findings of Lancet study, which surveyed more than one million adults globally and found that sitting for at least eight hours a day can increase the risk of premature death by up to 60 per cent.
That office body beatdown can be offset by doing at least one hour of physical activity per day, such as visiting the gym, playing sports, cycling or taking a brisk walk.
Physical inactivity is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers and is associated with more than five million deaths per year.
“There has been a lot of concern about the health risks associated with today’s more sedentary lifestyles,” says lead author Professor Ulf Ekelund from the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences.
“Our message is a positive one: it is possible to reduce – or even eliminate – these risks if we are active enough.
“For many people who commute to work and have office-based jobs, there is no way to escape sitting for prolonged periods of time. For these people in particular, we cannot stress enough the importance of getting exercise, whether it’s getting out for a walk at lunchtime, going for a run in the morning or cycling to work.
“An hour of physical activity per day is the ideal, but if this is unmanageable, then at least doing some exercise each day can help reduce the risk.”
Scientists said sedentary lifestyles were now posing as great a threat to public health as smoking, and were causing more deaths than obesity.
They urged anyone spending hours at their desk to change their daily routine to take a five minute break every hour, as well as exercise at lunchtimes and evenings.
Its not just about standing up either as the Telegraph wrote last year. We need to do something active and get all our muscles moving.
However, taking regular breaks is not always an option and many workplaces are yet to introduce standing desks. This is where the Rooboard fitness tool comes into its own and will help you to avoid the office body beatdown with deskercise.
You can place it on your chair every hour for 10 minutes. This forces your core muscles to engage to maintain stability. Try raising and lowering your heels to work the abdominal muscles.
If you are able to stand at or next to your desk you can also perform single leg balance exercises.
By moving the single pad to the front of the deck you move the Rooboard into slant board mode to perform calf raises.
These three simple exercises could make a world of difference to your health in the workplace. They will also improve your core and postural strength.
