Working from home or in a sedentary office environment often means long hours sitting down. Many are seeking creative ways to incorporate physical activity into their daily routines. Enter the Bike Desk, an innovative solution that combines work and exercise. But what is it really like to work while pedaling? We delve into the firsthand experiences of individuals who tried integrating a bike desk into their workday.
Krista started her day with a baseline resting heart rate of 61 bpm. After just a few minutes of pedaling on the bike desk, her heart rate quickly jumped to 77 bpm. Throughout her workday, she experimented with different resistance levels and noted that pushing the resistance higher definitely increased the workout intensity. At one point, her heart rate peaked at 121 bpm. Krista found herself needing to take breaks to walk around, acknowledging that biking for an entire workday requires adjustments. By the end of her trial day, she had cycled 17.77 miles and the bike desk estimated she had burned 429 calories. It’s important to note, as Krista mentioned, that this wasn’t continuous cycling throughout the entire day; she incorporated standing, walking, and resting periods.
Asia opted for a lower resistance setting to ease into working and biking simultaneously. However, even with low resistance, her body quickly felt the effects. After just 90 minutes, her glutes and thighs were requesting a break, prompting her to take a walk. It was during this walk that Asia realized the bike desk was providing a genuine workout, noting a change in her gait and feeling the exertion in each step. Desk space was another key observation for Asia. Accustomed to a desk filled with notebooks, a phone, and multiple beverages to fuel her productivity, she found the bike desk’s surface area somewhat limited. With only about four inches of space on either side of her laptop, it felt a bit cramped. Despite these observations, by the end of her day using the bike desk, Asia had burned 412 calories.
Mike, at 6’2″ and 210 pounds, immediately noticed the bike desk’s size upon sitting down. It felt small both as a bike and as a desk, leading him to describe feeling like “a bear riding a bike at the circus.” However, once he started pedaling, Mike was surprised by how manageable it was to work and pedal concurrently. He found typing while pedaling particularly easier than anticipated. Mike didn’t pedal continuously throughout the day, incorporating meetings and using the bike desk in a standing position as well. He was pleased to see that he had burned 290 calories by the end of the day, a number he humorously admitted to negating with a candy bar afterward.
These initial experiences provide valuable insights into integrating a bike desk into a workday. They highlight the potential for increased physical activity and calorie burn, even with low resistance or intermittent use. The experiences also bring up practical considerations such as desk space and the need for breaks, suggesting that while bike desks offer a promising way to combat sedentary work, users may need to adjust their routines and expectations for optimal integration. Further exploration into ergonomics, long-term use, and the impact on productivity would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the benefits and challenges of using a bike desk for daily work.
