If your day involves sitting around a lot and you find your mood and motivation drooping, you might need a bike desk.
Clemson University researchers recently put students on these contraptions, gave them some brainy tasks to complete, and ran some tests. They found positive feelings, motivation, and morale all improved compared to those at regular desks, with no loss in performance.
The bike desks were such a hit during the study that they’re popping up in buildings around Clemson campus.
And it looks like college students aren’t the only ones liking the exercise/work combination. Sales in elementary-sized exercise desks have been growing lately too. Schools have even been able to win government and private grants to fund the equipment.
The Clemson professor suggested opportunities for movement should be available in all situations where we usually sit, like at the airport or in doctors’ waiting rooms. I’m all for that; it’s with that same spirit that I often suggest to my clients we take our sessions to the greenbelt right outside my office. The more we can cut down on our sedentary time, the better we’ll feel, both physically and mentally!
Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Mental Health Solutions, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults.
