This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Do you spend a lot of your day sitting at a desk? I listened this morning to Dr. Hilary Jones explaining how bad it is for you to sit for more than two hours at a stretch. As I drove home to start my day in front of the computer I thought I would share with you three of the products that I have recently learned about to alleviate the strain of working at a desk and which will also improve your posture.
DESKMATE – the affordable standing desk
The first product is the Deskmate. This is a fully portable, easy to assemble product – no instructions that need a handyman and equipment. It converts your desk that you sit at into a stand up desk. I don’t need to tell you how much better this is for you, your posture and your health. We are so conscious of what we eat, how we exercise and yet we don’t give thought to the activity that we do most of i.e. sitting at a desk. Statistically it is one third of our lives however with people working longer hours, and not retiring at the traditional age, I think it will soon be more than ⅓rd.
Deskmate is the world’s first affordable standing desk converter. It’s flat packed, pops up in seconds and costs 1/10th of the price of a traditional standing unit.
A standing desk is a great way to beat fatigue. It reminds you that you need to stay active during the day. Use it for 30 minute intervals 2-3 times a day – helping to break up your work load into manageable chunks. Alternating between sitting and standing is key.
When you receive your Deskmate pop it out and place it on top of a normal desk which will then convert it into a standing unit. Each product is made from industrial strength cardboard, which is fully recyclable. Deskmate is also made in the UK, lowering the carbon footprint from production to customer’s door. The great news is that these items are affordable at under £35.
KYBUN MAT
The kybun mat is a more expensive option for improving your health and posture if you work at a desk for long hours. However the Kybun mat is worth looking at and considering as it is producing great results from those who have made the investment.
The kybun mat is an elastic springy mat. Its reactive rebound-effect allows the foot to sink in deep and springs straight back to its original position. The kybun mat encourages the body into constant, minute movements to maintain balance and posture. The rebound-effect causes the muscles to tense and relax simultaneously, exercising the muscles in your feet, legs and trunk. The kybun mat improves your balance, coordination and all-round fitness without taking up any extra time at all.
It is a perfect product to use in combination with the Deskmate. Though it is expensive it might be worth trying the Deskmate first to see how standing for periods during the day helps with your overall posture and any underlying back problems.
ActivePosture products
Clothing from ActivePosture creates postural awareness but activating muscle memory during and after use to help you achieve improved posture. The Posture Shirt 2.0 provides daily support, whether you’re sitting, standing or on the move. Ever since I broke my shoulder I have had treatment to repair all of the damage. The therapist has nagged me about my posture, encouraging me to sit and stand correctly and thus strengthening the spine. I bought a bra and shirt from ActivePosture and both have really helped. Both come with a zip-up front which made them easier to put on as they have to fit very tightly. I also suffer with my shoulder in that it does not twist very well when putting tight clothing on but that is a personal problem to me. Maybe other people would be happy with the normal shirt.
Posture Shirt 2.0 from ActivePosture® features patented NeuroBand-technology which activates and stimulates shoulder and back muscles to improve your posture. Do read the instructions and break yourself in gently. I found wearing it for 2 hours on the first day made me a little sore so I am building up to wearing the bra for a full day.
I hope all of these tips help for those of you like me who work at a computer or who just suffer from the consequences of bad posture. We need to improve posture which in turn will help with health.
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