Sitting all day is terrible for your health. A lot of people know this but don’t have the time or money to invest in a standing desk. That’s where the under desk bike comes in—it’s an affordable way to get some exercise during the workday without having to leave your desk.
The best part about the under desk bike is that you can use it while you work. You don’t have to take any extra time out of your day to go to the gym – sit and start pedaling away. It’s a great way to break up the monotony of sitting all day, and it can help improve your overall health and well-being.
LET’S TALK ABOUT UNDER DESK BIKE BENEFITS & DISADVANTAGES
It is indeed hard to stay fit and exercise to stay fit with the busy schedules we keep. It seems like we’re always rushing to and from somewhere. Either it’s to work and the desk, chaufering the kids, or to bed so we can start again in the morning.
What if you had an under desk bike? This simple exercise machine can keep the blood flowing through your entire body, burn a few calories, help you focus to be more productive, and stay fit. In fact, just expending the energy to pedal while at your desk can help you sit there longer without fatigue and help your back.
The only disadvantage you could encounter is if you happen to have a really low desk. Most desks, however, have plenty of room for you to pedal while you work. Most of us have found the most comfortable sitting position at our desk, so sliding your pedal machine under it won’t even interfere with your comfort.
Well, there is one more disadvantage I know of: if you work in an office with other people, the cheaper models are sometimes more noisy.
Check out my reviews of the Best Under Desk Exercise Equipment
I’m going to take a look with you at some of the overall benefits of owning your own underdesk exercise bike and see if there are any disadvantages you need to know about.
The Advantages
1. KEEP FIT AND HEALTHY
I think you would agree that the main reason most people shop for under desk exercisers is that they realize what sitting at a desk is doing to their general health and fitness. I can tell you that the constant motion of the miniature exercise bike under your desk will exercise your legs to keep blood from pooling and improve your circulation. The slow pedaling and constant movement of your upper body keep your heart and circulatory system working well.
We all sit differently, often with bad posture or with the weight of our legs propped up on to our feet. The bike can replicate any of those positions, but it can also help you sit with better posture as you slowly pedal along and improve blood flow.
You’ll read a lot about using these pedaling machines to lose weight. However, I don’t think that’s entirely true. Losing weight means burning more calories than you consume, and these bikes under your desk usually burn about 100 calories if you pedal all day. When it comes to losing weight, that’s not many calories.
But you can’t forget that the constant motion of your feet and legs will help keep your metabolism up. The increased metabolism can help you do things like stay awake and stay focused, and the higher the metabolism, the easier it is to lose weight as you cut back on consuming calories.
2. YOU WILL BE MORE PRODUCTIVE AND FEEL BETTER
I don’t know about you, but it’s easy to get lazy when sitting at a desk hour after hour. Besides being bad for your health, constant sitting slows your metabolism without your own pedal machine under your desk.
The pedaling is slow and steady. Not like you ride an upright stationary bike or a spin bike. As you keep your feet and legs in motion and the blood flows, you will notice you become much more focused, have more energy, and be less fidgety than before.
Another benefit comes from the endorphins that are released with any type of workouts. These hormones are called the feel-good hormones because the steady movement tells your brain to release them and they just make you feel better. And let’s face it, the better you feel, the easier it is to focus and be more productive.
3. EXERCISE YOUR UPPER BODY WITH AN UNDERDESK PEDALER
I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true. Of course, with thisunder desk exercise, you will primarily be working your lower body. But what if, during break or lunch time, you could stop hunching over the desk and put the bike on top of the desk?
Most of the machines are light enough to just pick them up off the floor and set them on your desk. Now, you can pedal with your hands for a few minutes. This type of pedal machine is often seen in physical therapy businesses for exercising your hands, wrists, forearms, shoulders, and upper back and chest muscles.
If you can devote 10 minutes to pedaling your bike with your hands on top of the desk, you will be amazed at how much better you feel. You will definitely notice a difference in the agility and dexterity of your entire upper body, as well as in your fatigued hands from operating the keyboard.
4. HELPS BURN CALORIES
Like I’ve already stated, don’t expect to burn hundreds of extra calories while you’re sitting at your desk with this under desk cycle.
Granted, any physical activity helps burn calories, and pedaling is one of them. However, you probably don’t want to give up your gym membership just yet. To make a comparison, you can burn as many as 400 calories an hour on an upright stationary exercise bike that raises your heart-rate. That makes for a good workout session.
As many real and positive benefits and advantages as there are with a under desk bike, weight loss simply isn’t one of them.
I think the average person might pedal away about 100 calories during their 8 hours at work with this device. That means about 500 calories burned in a week. Granted, that is definitely $500 more than before you purchased one of these bikes for work.
It’s just that I don’t want to steer you wrong. The main benefits are real and important, it’s just that weight loss probably won’t be one of them.
5. STRONGER AND HEALTHIER LEGS
Stronger and healthier legs are a definite benefit. It’s easy to not notice how weak your lower body, legs, and back can get from sitting all day. That is, until you start walking or running for exercise.
Listen, this pedaling motion under the desk will definitely help you stop losing muscle tone in your legs. After a few weeks, you will notice your thighs firming up and taking on new life. Of course, the same motion also keeps your legs active and moving to retain range of motion in everything from your ankles to your hips.
In fact, these under desk exercisers are great if you know you have stiff legs and back when you get up to go home. After pedaling for a couple of hours a day at work, you will notice a distinct difference in your lower body agility.
Will under desk cycling help with vericose veins?
If you already have varicose veins, exercise isn’t likely to cure them. But,
If you already have varicose veins, exercise can keep them from getting worse and also help alleviate pain and discomfort. Generally, low-impact exercises are best.
Texas Endovascular
Any type of cycling that involves your legs helps with vericose veins and preventing them in the first place. Pedaling of any kind gives you more strength in your legs and pumps blood all the way through your legs and back in the right direction.
Riding a bike or stationary bike is also helpful. It strengthens your calf muscles, which helps pump blood out of your legs and keeps it flowing in the right direction.
6. VERY PORTABLE
The under desk bike can go just about anywhere you go. Most of them weigh 20 pounds or less and average about 10″ in height. That makes it easy to slide it out from under the desk and pick it up to move it.
That means if your office desk is at home, you can move it to the living room or bedroom after work. They are so portable, you can put them in your car and take them on vacation, or move it from work to home and back again easily.
You should never need to disassemble it after easily assembling it the first time. Everyone I’ve ever seen can be out of the box and ready for use in 10 minutes or so with easy-to-follow directions. There are usually very few parts you even need to fiddle with.
7. THEY WORK JUST AS WELL WITHOUT A DESK
We call these machines under desk exercisers because that may be what they were originally designed for, but what if you don’t even have a desk?
What if you spend most of your time sitting in your favorite chair at home because it’s too hard to get out anymore. What if your arthritis keeps you from moving around as much as you should?
These simple and very inexpensive exercise machines can save your legs, create more energy, keep the blood circulating, make you feel better, and maybe even save your life.
If you spend your time sitting at home without the exercise you know you need, these under desk pedal machines are the absolute perfect answer for you.
THE DISADVANTAGES
To be honest, I’ve just had to really make something up when it comes to the disadvantages of these bikes. Truth be told, getting healthy and fit while pedaling a machine under your desk that you were going to be at anyway, has few to no disadvantages. But, let’s take a look at what I came up with.
1. THE CHEAPEST MODELS MAY BE NOISER THAN OTHERS
Anytime you purchase exercise equipment, you are faced with two distinct options: real cheap or real good. Admittedly, most of us are aware of this and spend our time looking for that happy medium. You know, as good as we want to spend the money for.
Under desk exercise bikes are no different. They range from really inexpensive to really premium products that should last a lifetime. Purchasing the cheapest model you can find could lead to more noise than the usual extremely quiet pedaling models.
So, my advice, if you are on a budget or just not really sure of the benefits, is to do your homework and read the reviews on Amazon. Of course, there are those people who would complain if you gave them the golden goose, but use your head, read and analyze the reviews, and make the choice.
Even the worst one is a great investment, though. I mean, you are already at your desk subjecting yourself to “sitting disease” (that is a real problem today, google it yourself). Why not spend a few bucks and improve your health and fitness.
2. YOU MIGHT THINK THEY COST TOO MUCH
Face it, you will get what you pay for, right? These bikes that go under your desk can cost as much as $200. You will find a price range from about $30-200, maybe 250 nowadays.
In my opinion, the best model available is about $200. HOWEVER, the 50 dollar models do the same thing, and some people actually prefer them because they are so light.
My favorite desk cycle is super easy to use, move, and has an LCD read out to track speed, distance, and more.
That’s all I got when it comes to disadvantages.
Conclusion
There are many reasons to buy an under desk bike and the benefits certainley outweigh the disadvantages. First, it can help you stay active while working. Second, it can improve your circulation and increase your energy levels. Third, it can help tone your muscles and burning calories. Lastly, it can be a great way to relieve stress. You can’t deny that an under desk bike is a great investment for your health and well-being.