So work from home is great but it’s made me less active. Just ordered a standing desk and was wondering if anyone had any experience with this.
Thinking I want to avoid any cycling or elliptical type of machine as that is the same movement pattern as cycling. Seems like I should do something different. This leads me to balance boards or a treadmill but not sure how well they actual work
I have one at work. You’re not gonna get fit from it but it will be good for your core strength as compared to sitting. I like it. Keeps me a bit more engaged in work.
I’ve been working from home since COVID and use a standing desk. It’s good however the advice from my physio was to make sure I still moved during the day. Standing is good but movement through the lower body is important. Also making sure not to put all my weight on one leg when standing.
Balance boards are a good way to mix things up.
I used a standing desk for years.
Here’s the thing: how much are you riding? If the answer is “a lot”, use it to stand up and shake the legs out, but don’t go into this thinking it’s a good idea to stand all or even most of the day. It’ll affect your riding and recovery.
When I wasn’t able to train much, I stood a lot. When I was training, I would use it for like 10-15 min stretches and maybe twice a day.
Balance board over a treadmill?
What type of balance board? Seems like there are many cheap exercise type wobble balance boards like:
https://a.co/d/f0JBrYO
And the fancy stand-up desk ones that are way more expensive like:
https://fluidstance.com/
But looking at reviews online it seems like the higher end ones are just trying to keep you from being static but don’t really want you to actually be active, for example:
https://www.workwhilewalking.com/balance-board-reviews
Like the way they talk about typical walking pace being 1-2 mph which seems way too slow
Top Under-Desk Office Treadmill Bases | Ergonomic Office Reviews
(On a non flat hike on a trail I’m used to and primarily on my phone doing research into what standing desk to get I was faster. A smooth level treadmill?)
For the treadmill thinking of getting:
2 in 1 treadmill | Under Desk Treadmill + Folding treadmill for home
In that the slight incline would help as to the challenge and the small size would make it easy to move out of the way and store to use my chair and sit. But also thinking the max speed means I can’t even do a slow run so maybe get one with a higher max speed but than no incline. (The cheap small ones that would fit all max out at 12km/hr)
My goal is not to be fit from it and I know this won’t replace any more active exercise, it’s too be less sedentary. But still hoping to optimize it a bit from the bare minimum.
Is treadmill just as good as a balance board?
Would it make more sense to get a cheap exercise style balance board that I know is only good for small periods of time in that the majority of non sitting time will be walking on the treadmill?
Going by Strava ~18 hours so far this month and the most I’ve done in a year is 350 hours. So not that active. Also notice lots of times my legs are too worn out to bike I can still hike and a treadmill seems easier than hiking
Yeah you’ll be fine. 
I have tight hips and might look into getting one of this.
I stand all day, every day working from home. It’s definitely worth investing in one of those standing mats, especially if you plan on standing all day without shoes. The mat makes all the difference in the world.
Lower back pain was part of why I started looking. Realizing I wasn’t really all that active and gained 25 pounds over covid made me realize change was needed
Basic flat mat or one of the fancier mats? Seems like lots of people like the ergodriven topo mat:
Which also seems to be easy to move out of the way when using my chair or a treadmill if I get one
This is a good idea. Honestly I find standing tough(I have a standing desk at home and work). I always want to stand on one leg and my back usually gets tired from just standing. The mat is a great idea
I’ve started going for a 10-20 minute walk during the workday. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a workout but it does loosen my legs and clears the head.
I love my SlackBlock. I doubt anyone could do productive work while using this (I find it way more challenging than my balance board) but its a great balance trainer and just a few minutes a day can be useful. I have one at home and have considered bringing it into the office for balance breaks during the day.
How is this more challenging than a simple wobble board like:
Seems smaller so easier to get out of the way and less chance of damage to the floor. Is it less stable so requires better balance? Makes your muscles more sore from use? Does seem like on carpet a wobble board would get support making it less twitchy while the slackblock doesn’t get impacted from the floor
The round wobble board might even be better than the Slackblock depending on what you’re after. Both really involve the ankles much more than a basic balance board but the wobble board might be more 360 than just side to side. I’m not a physio of any sort so I don’t know if that’s good but I have weak ankles and wobbling around on them on some sort of unstable platform SEEMS to my uneducated self that that might be good 
My understanding is the Slackblock was originally made to help train for slacklining and if you scroll down on the webpage the company sells an indoor slack line set up. Its really unstable side to side but not so much fore and aft but you can stand on various different ways to get different planes of movement. I like it because for the minute or so I can stand on it without dabbing a foot I imagine myself slackline across a 1000" drop
I have a hard enough time standing on one foot so maybe I don’t want too much wobble. I’ll be happy if it will allow me to slackline 10 feet between trees (tried one once, couldn’t even get up to stand on it) Saw some other reviews that make it seem like this is at least really good as stability training. Also thinking of size of the this making it easy to take out and use vs some large thing means that it would be easier to use more so would have a bigger impact… I may not be able to do productive work while on it, but there are meetings and this is quiet. Bought it. Thanks
Still thinking of getting a treadmill and a mat
I’m sure many of us think we have balance covered because we balance on our bikes but that’s not the same type of dynamic balance as general standing balance much less standing on a balance board or standing on one foot. I’m never going to slackline but, being human, I do need to stand up and move on foot most days ;-). As one ages, that type of balance becomes a perishable skill which should be worked.
+1 on the balance board, just makes you more engaged and you can move around on it and stretch a bit if you want.
balance board over treadmill for walking?
I honestly haven’t used a treadmill desk, just standing desk with balance board. I don’t know that I personally could walk and work at the same time. Balancing on the other hand… that I can do.
I can do research on my cell phone while hiking, so guessing walking while programming shouldn’t be that bad