Exercise equipment for your legs while sitting is one of the best ways to spend your time. Exercising your legs ensures plenty of blood circulation to them as well as to the rest of your body.
Any physical activity that involves your legs strengthens your heart, improves your overall health, and burns calories.
On the other hand, sitting for long hours has the opposite effect and is dangerous to health and shortens lives.
Whether exercising your legs under a desk at work, or sitting in a chair at home, that physical activity is crucial for the best health.
Pedal exercisers and portable elliptical machines are highly effective for staying healthy when confined to sitting for long hours.
Desk workers, and anyone else sitting for long hours at home, are using under desk pedal exercisers to stay fit.
So whether exercising your legs for better circulation, to lose weight or stay mobile and healthy — they always provide a safe and low impact method to improve fitness.
The Best Devices to Use While Sitting
- Pedal Exercisers. These come in all shapes and sizes. You sit and pedal them as if you were riding a bike. In fact, they are often referred to as mini bikes. Some models dual-purpose machines. Can exercise your arms as well as your legs by simply placing it on a tabletop. Some are made to use under a desk, and some are too tall to use under a desk. So, if you’re looking for something to use at work it’s important to be certain it will fit.
- Mini Elliptical Machines. The difference between an elliptical machine and a mini bike is the pedals and pedal movement. An elliptical employs footplates instead of pedals. When pedaling a bike the pedals always make perfect circles, whereas an elliptical pedals in an elongated arc. Some mini ellipticals can be used standing up, and some only while sitting. When it comes to using them while you’re seated, I don’t think you will find any difference in the results.
- Leg Activators. Leg activators are different because there is no effort required from the user, and no sort of pedals or pedaling. These fitness machines are electric, good for home or office, and do all the work for you. Leg activators are designed to increase circulation only and not muscle tone. Instead of pedals, you merely place your feet on the footplate pads and the machine slides them back and forth in front of you. (I have no experience with them, and have never reviewed them because they always seem to have bad reviews?)
Because all of the above are lightweight, portable, and sometimes foldable, they work just as well at the office, home, or on vacation trips. In fact, the pedal exercisers can be placed on a tabletop and used to strengthen arms. Use them to get both a lower and upper body workout that helps with circulation, strength, range of motion, coordination, and balance.
Benefits of Using Leg Exercise Equipment
We are apt to think of going to a gym, running, jogging, walking, and something athletic when we think of staying physically fit. However, any endeavor that requires physical effort in an effort to maintain or improve our health, weight, and fitness is time well spent with plenty of benefits.
Aerobics for Cardiovascular Health
While exercising your legs sitting down isn’t the same as using this home cardio workout equipment, it can still raise your heart rate. When you’re pumping blood with your legs you’re pumping oxygen all over your body. The activity itself ensures you are keeping your heart, and cardiovascular system toned, sturdy, and powerful.
Increasing Metabolism
If your goal is to lose weight, working your legs will help increase your metabolism. Increased metabolism means converting food to energy is increased. This activity while sitting will help with digestion, focus, and energy levels.
Burning Calories
If losing weight is a goal for you, utilizing a mini exercise bike or elliptical equipment can help as much as riding a recumbent bike. You could burn a couple of hundred calories while watching TV or working at a desk in 30 minutes at a very easy pace. We tend to associate burning calories with losing weight, but we also need to burn calories for energy to move and think.
Better Sleep
Once you start exercising you’ll find the best sleep you’ve had lately. Noticing that you fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and deeper is common when using exercise equipment for your legs.
Increased Joint Mobility
Employing your legs means activating hip, knee, and ankle joints. The number one recommended advise for arthritis in these joints is using them. Low impact exercises you can do sitting down ensures your joints stay flexible, fluid, and pain-free.
Healthy Blood Pressure
Working your heart muscle means you are working your entire cardiovascular system. Not only does this make a stronger heart, but also veins and arteries. Limbering up your cardiovascular system keeps it healthy and helps to lower blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and triglycerides along with losing weight as you pedal.
Increased Strength
You don’t need to be a bodybuilder or own your own folding exercise bike to need strength in your legs. The more strength in your lower body, the easier it is to balance, get up and down and stay active. But even that’s not all: The stronger they are, the more blood they pump, the stronger your heart, and the healthier you are.
Improved Mood
Your brain keeps a store of feel-good chemicals, and using exercise equipment for your legs will signal your brain to turn lose of them to improve your mood. You will feel better with more energy to keep your mind clear and focused.
Summary
Whether you need exercise at work or your mobility is limited — keeping your legs in shape will improve every aspect of your life. Having your own piece of portable home gym equipment is an excellent option if you live a sedentary life, travel, or work at a desk. Strengthening muscles in your legs and lower body is a fun and relaxed way to keep you healthy and energized.