A Better Work Experience With Standing Desk Balance Boards
A standing desk is a great way to make your daily work routine less stationary and healthier. In fact, sitting for hours on end is terrible for our health. This is why a lot of tech companies now don’t have chairs for their employees!
Editor’s Choice: Read 5 Reasons Why You Need a Balance Board for your Standing Desk
We have started to see that treadmills have found their way under the stand-up desk, but that is not a realistic option for everyone. I believe balance boards are a great alternative to just standing, and the desk treadmills because it’s less distracting, cheaper, and softer on your feet.
Balance boards are a great addition to any standing desk environment, will improve the experience, and are more affordable!
Balance boards can keep your mind and body engaged to increase focus, improve productivity, and fight away fatigue and prevent fatigue, sourness, and back pain. Even though standing desks are better for your health than sitting stationary for hours, standing still at a desk can also cause fatigue and back pain.
CAUTION: Not all balance boards should be used with a stand-up desk. In fact, some can be harmful to your knees and ankles. Read this article to know what you should look for in a balance board and what to avoid!
How to Choose a Balance Board for a Standing Desk?
Whether you are at work or your home office, a balance board will make you work experience better and healthier. A balance board will provide you with movements that will not distract you from your work. Balance boards can be used by beginners and intermediate users, and while there are many options, there are a few things that you should be taking into consideration: Desk Size: Take into account the height of your desk and how adjustable it is. If you are tall, a balance board with a larger surface area would be more comfortable. Budget: standing desk balance boards come in all shapes and sizes and also a wide range of prices. The good news is that there is something for every budget! You can find simple options for under $30 and expensive balance boards that can be over $400+. The key is to find a balance between your budget and the features that will best suit your needs. Type: there are a few different options for the kind of base your balance board can have. There are balance boards with a dome shape underneath that allow you to “wobble” in all directions and there are balance boards that share characteristics of a “rocker” and can go back and forth or side to side. We will get more into balance board types in a minute. Visual Design: how a balance boards look might be more important to you if you are buying it for your office than if you were looking for a board for your home. There are a wide variety of balance boards made for balance training, exercise, and even physical therapy. Balance boards for standing desks are starting to become more common but not every balance board is good for a standing desk user. If you are looking to add a balance board to your standing desk than you are in the right place. In this article, you will find my top-rated balance boards for standing best, the balance board I personally use, and how to pick the best standing balance board for you!
Best Stand-Up Desk Balance Boards
The best balance board for your standing desk is a balance board that is easy to balance on so that it won’t distract you from your work. Here are the best balance boards for a stand-up desk!
My Standing desk Balance Board: Kumo Board
There really isn’t a balance board that is perfect for every situation. When you are choosing a balance board for your standing desk, consider what features are most important to you. Price, appearance, design, color, material, features, quality, etc. I like the Kumo Board because it’s very comfortable to stand on for extended periods of time, it has a built-in rocker but also has other options like an air cushion and roller. I love that it is versatile and I’m not the only one in my family to use it. It’s a great balance trainer so I can easily take a break and get a good core and leg workout during the workday! Since it is inflatable, I can easily transport it and I don’t need a mat to protect the floor or worry about damaging my hardwood floor. It’s grippy on the top for my feet but also on the bottom so it won’t slide out from underneath if I make an awkward shift. The Kumo Board is similar in price but has many more features making it a better choice in my book. I primiary work at home so the appearance factor what not imprtant to me. If you are in a office that requires a more professional appearance than my second choice would be the Fluidstance balance board!
Kumo Board Inflatable Balance Board
The Plane (by FluidStance) Balance Board
Revolution FOCUS Standing Desk balance Board
Pono Board
Rated: 4.1/5 stars (79% five-star reviews)
Price: $149.95
Overview: This is a unique “balance” board, This board actually has four air-filled ball-bearings on each corner. You get to experience lateral instability. The amount of movement can be easily adjusted be changing the amount of air pressure in the balls. A pump is required but it is also included. This balance board is purposefully designed to minimize the front-back and side to side motion. So while the board moves left to right and back and forth but keeps you parallel to the ground. This is ideal for minimizing distractions while still stabilizing muscle
Pros and Cons: Most other balance boards are designed with a high center point in the middle and the tilt can cause a negative heal drop with is not an anti-ergonomic posture and could have negative side effects. Instead, you get all the benefits with micro-movements. It can be used with any exercise since it stays parallel to the ground. You can use it from crossfire to yoga and even use it at the beach.
Where to Buy: You can buy the Pono Board through their official website, or through Amazon.com.
Indo Original FLO Balance Board
- Indo Roller
- Carry Bag
- Indo Mat
They also have instructional videos for different exercises you can do. Another awesome feature is a wide variety of different designs and artwork avalible on the boards.
Gaiam Evolve Balance Board
Types of Balance Boards
The most common types of balance boards are rocker boards, roller boards, and wobble boards. While all of these can be used for balance training, not all are ideal for a standing desk environment. Balance boards that are ideal of an office environment generally fall in one of two categories: rocker boards or wobble boards. The best way to distinguish between the two is that rocker boards only rock from side to side and wobble board allow for 360-degree movement.
Here is a quick overview of each type of balance board to give you a better understanding of what is available.
Rocker Boards: A rocker board will give you two options: balancing back and forth or side to side and the desk is a rectangle shape. A rocker board is ideal for beginners as it will give you a great introduction to balance boards without being too much of a distraction. There are also different varieties of rocker balance board difficulty levels.
Wobble Boards: Wobble boards give you greater freedom of movement. While they do give you 360 degrees of balance action, it might be too of an unstable option. Wobble boards also vary in difficulty levels and features.
Roller Boards: Roller-boards are typically used for balance training that gives you an intense balance training session, and it requires all your focus. This is a reasonably challenging balance board to master. The price range of roller boards range from $120 to $200+, and often they will come in training “kits.” If you already have a roller board, you can easily re-purpose it for use in the office by getting an inflatable cushion! For example, you can get an inflatable cushion that is adjustable to different levels of instability. The IndoFLO Cushion and the Kumo Board Cushion are examples of an inflatable base that can be added to a deck. You can add air pressure to increase the difficulty of balancing.
