As a person who primarily works from home in front of a computer I am always on the look-out for products that help me increase my physical activity and make balanced, health decisions through the work day.
I invested in an All-In-One Desk Bike from Flexispot on Amazon Prime Day about six months ago and am super pleased! The quality of the product has held up over time. I have increased my ‘active’ heart rate daily average by more than 20 minutes and feel confident I can maintain the gain. The Desk Bike makes it so easy to get that time in without having to compromise other priorities.
With an average price tag of $399 [on sale for a limited time here!] I use the term ‘investment’ with purpose. Will it set you back a few hundred bucks? Yes. Does the quality match the price? Also yes. Do health complications from a sedentary lifestyle set you back 1000% more? A third yes. For me it was an investment in my health less expensive than a yearly gym membership I may or may not use. Speaking of sedentary –
The Issue – My Work From Home Profession Encourages Couch Potato Syndrome
There is a perception of working from home that this set-up makes it easy to balance work and life. No commutes, less distraction, the ability to throw in a load of laundry between calls. Don’t get me wrong it has its perks and I DO get laundry done through the day. However, there is a dark side of working from home that doesn’t get talked about nearly as much (but definitely exists).
- It is weirdly easy to jump into your email over a first cup of coffee at 7am in your pajamas and not look up again until noon after some heavy mental lifting with colleagues in different time zones. Boom, it’s lunch time and you’re not even showered yet, congratulations!
- Blurred lines can form between work and home – you can see my bed in the background of the above photo – when you work near where you sleep how easy is it to pick up that last work task when you should be in home mode? Let me go ahead and answer that – very easy. And sometimes checking in off hours even makes you perform better at your job, reinforcing the ‘always on’ habit. Which brings me to my third point –
- As a tech professional working with remote teams that all have to work together to produce our best results I know the more I am focused in front of my computer the more effective I often am at moving the work along. So it can be a bit guilt-inducing to step away and go for a walk when I could get ‘just one more thing done’ for the team.
The answer (in part) – Flexispot All-In-One Bike Desk
While the Deskcise Pro caught my attention as part of Prime Day I ultimately decided to pull the trigger on this bike desk because of the rave reviews it got at a recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES), ease to put together (I avoid IKEA for reasons), and adjustability in both the desk and seat.
Ease of assembly was definitely a factor that turned out to be true once the desk arrived at my house. The majority of the bike came pre-built (hello very large box!) and all I had to do was follow simple directions to add the adjustable desk, foot pads, and (included) batteries for the display.
Other ‘yes!’ factors for the bike desk
- It’s quiet. I can be on a call or concentrating on a conversation and bike wheel noise isn’t a factor getting in the way.
- I can adjust desk height AND pitch which is nice depending on if I need to type an email (flat please) or am listening to a presentation and want to get some spinning in (angled works best thanks)
- Roller wheels! I can move the desk around AND pull them into the base for efficient storage so I don’t always have to have it in the middle of my work space and it still feels sturdy. Love this!
- Plenty of desk room for a laptop, coffee, (as seen below), phone or tablet, mouse pad, writing pad, whatever configuration works best for you. A separate monitor may be a bit much but otherwise there’s plenty of room.
Measurable results
When I started using this desk the intended result was increased physical activity particularly during the work week when I will work long hours then be mentally tired afterward often only having enough energy for kid activities and getting a decently healthy meal on the table before crash on the couch time and bed. I am fairly active on my off times, weekends I like to explore my city and go for hikes. Therefore I excluded upticks in ‘off time’ activity from this continuous improvement activity.
I started with an average of 5 minutes per day active time (/facepalm) Monday through Thursday. This was often Gained via one day of decent physical activity in the four day stretch. After 6 months I now average between 20-35 minutes of elevated heart rate physical activity during these same work days with the addition of the bike desk. I’ll call that a positive, sustained result!
For best results – add variety
Your health is the foundation for every other priority in life. We all know that there are no one-shot solutions to complex problems like maintaining a healthy active lifestyle while working a pro-sedentary job. It’s takes tweaking multiple areas of my life and being conscious of my activity levels and results to truly adopt a healthy lifestyle. That said, I can recommend after six months of regular use the Flexispot All-In-One Bike Desk as a solid option to increase physical activity and all the health benefits that come with an active lifestyle
About the author: Hi! My name is Jess Anderson, I am a technologist based in Louisville, Ky. I lead corporate technology product and project teams and am a freelance small business consultant. Two school-aged kids call me mom, of which I am proudest of all. I am in passionate pursuit of a well-balanced life and invite you to come along for the ride. Also find me writing on Medium.
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