Sedentary behaviours in the office do more harm than good. Health experts recommend alternating between sitting and standing at work or getting a little active.
That way, you avoid the risks of musculoskeletal disorders or cardiovascular disease.
You can also walk around every so often to keep your fitness in check. Better yet, use exercise machines like an under-desk elliptical.
Let’s discuss the benefits of under-desk elliptical models and see if these suit your work setting.
Why Use an Under Desk Elliptical
The under-desk elliptical is the smaller and portable version of the standard elliptical trainer. This product can be used at home or in the office.
For many employees, the under-desk elliptical is a good investment as it allows them to maintain fitness even while working. Here are more reasons why this equipment is worth a try.
1. You Will Always Have Time for Exercise
There are no more excuses not to get exercise. The under-desk elliptical allows you to stay fit while tackling office tasks.
The compact size of this fitness equipment makes it a breeze to use at work. You won’t have to deal with missed gym routines, either.
You can always pull this piece out from under your desk and start working out.
If you want better results, use a timer along with the elliptical. You can manage your time with the fitness device and design a routine that works best for you.
2. It Provides a Variety of Resistance Levels
A monotonous fitness routine will lessen your drive to stay active at work. Also, lack of exercise variations and challenging movements eventually leads to a fitness plateau.
When this happens, your body will stop making progress.
That is why modifying your fitness routine is a must. The same goes for fitness equipment.
Most fitness tools offer different resistance levels to keep their users challenged, further inspiring them to push their limits.
The under-desk elliptical, for example, has a good range of resistance levels for challenging and motivating workouts.
3. You can Use It while Standing or Sitting Down
Fitness enthusiasts need to stand up to use standard elliptical machines. But with under-desk ellipticals, you can work out even while sitting down.
Try using it with your sit-stand desk to keep your body active at work. You can also use it at home while watching TV or listening to music.
4. It Will Not Overwork Your Joints
Standing up while on a standard elliptical machine tends to put your whole weight on your ankles and knees. On the other hand, using an under-desk elliptical while sitting down lessens the pressure.
Under-desk elliptical exercises are low impact and more joint-friendly. That means senior users and those with joint-related conditions like arthritis can benefit from this fitness tool.
5. Great for Both Home and Office Use
One of the benefits of under-desk elliptical devices is their size. Their portable nature makes them easy to move around and carry anywhere.
You can use them at home or in the office, or take them with you when travelling. Most quality compact ellipticals are also quiet.
This way, you can work out even late at night without bothering co-workers, family or housemates.
6. A Good Way to Add More Activity in the Office
Moving around more is key to lessening sedentary office habits. It’s easy to follow this suggestion with under-desk ellipticals at work.
They are excellent for toning and weight loss. More importantly, these can help reduce health risks associated with prolonged sitting.
7. More Affordable than Traditional Ellipticals
If you’re not too keen on standard ellipticals because of budget or space issues, an under-desk elliptical is a good alternative and starter.
Compared with traditional ellipticals, portable under-desk models are more affordable and compact. With them, you can pedal your way towards a healthier lifestyle without investing too much.
8. It Burns Calories
Not all of us have the time to make the most out of our gym memberships. Heck, most of us barely have time to exercise.
So, if you want to work and stay active simultaneously, an under-desk elliptical is the perfect solution.
Regular use of the equipment burns calories, thus helping you lose weight. Apart from that, it’s also great for toning up. Spending several minutes using the under-desk elliptical should help you stay on the healthy track.
9. It Engages the Lower Body
Using under-desk ellipticals regularly at work or home works out the lower body pretty well. It engages muscles like the calves, quads and hamstrings.
If you want to engage your core during your routine, try keeping your arms and back free while pedalling on the device.
10. Assembly Is Pretty Simple
Larger traditional elliptical machines are a bit more challenging to set up. On the other hand, under-desk ellipticals are easier to assemble.
These have fewer pieces to put together, and users only need to fasten the pedals to the mainframe.
Furthermore, these durable tools can withstand regular use. They are stable enough, too — perfect for safe exercising and multitasking.
How Do Under Desk Ellipticals Work?
The under-desk elliptical is an excellent piece of equipment. It’s a lightweight, compact and convenient fitness tool. It fits under tables or work desks and allows users to stay fit while working.
An under-desk elliptical can help you lose weight and tone your lower body when used daily. With it, it’s easy to be more active in the office or even while watching television or movies at home.
Users can enjoy an exercise routine similar to cycling with an under-desk elliptical.
Its wide range of resistance levels allows light and intense pedalling, too. The variety of resistance levels depends on the model and brand, though.
Still, this exercise machine is a viable option to include cycling in your routine without the bulky frame and steep price.
How Effective Are They for Weight Loss?
So, do portable elliptical machines match the capabilities of traditional ones?
Technically, smaller ellipticals cannot replace or outperform the originals. However, it does not mean that under-desk ellipticals are no good.
Using them daily at work can still help with your fitness goals, be it for losing weight, muscle toning or improving your stamina.
Under-desk ellipticals work by the pedalling principle. And so, the more rotations per minute (RPM) you apply, the better you are in activating your muscles.
These include your calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes and other related muscles tapped in a cycling workout.
You can even engage the core during your elliptical training by not using the armrests or backrest.
Remember, the results depend on how much effort you put into your workout.
Conclusion
Portable ellipticals are worth the investment for desk-bound employees without enough time, space or budget.
The health benefits of under-desk elliptical units will surely encourage the work sector to try them out.
With these fitness devices, you can work out at any time and forget about strict gym schedules. You get to lose or maintain a healthy weight without hurting your joints, too.
More importantly, they make it easy for you to get your daily dose of fitness and still beat that deadline!
Informative Q&A
1. Can you lose weight with a sitting elliptical?
Using an under-desk elliptical can help you lose weight. Specifically, it allows you to burn 150 to 300 calories, depending on the resistance setting and your current weight.
This device also helps with weight loss as it engages the lower body from your calves to glutes.
2. What muscles do under desk elliptical work?
Under-desk ellipticals fare well when it comes to muscle engagement. They work out the lower body and tap muscles like the calves, quads, glutes and hamstrings.
You can also work out your core while pedalling by moving your body away from the chair’s backrest or armrest.
She enjoys assessing and reviewing home office furniture such as standing desks, ergonomic chairs and lighting accessories. As such, she created Healthy Land to share her thoughts and insights. Danielle only recommends items she deems beneficial to the users as she understands how important ergonomics is, especially to remote workers.
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