Standing Desks & Treadmill Desks

In this review we're rounding out the best ergonomic chairs that promote active sitting. There are a few types to choose from and a significant amount of extra energy to burn.

iMovR’s two Tempo TreadTop™ seating solutions address a huge problem that many treadmill desk users contend with—how to take a break from walking or standing when your treadmill desk isn’t wide enough to accommodate a good chair alongside the treadmill. Compared to the Tempo TreadTop Office Chair, the Tempo Sit-Stand Stool is the less costly, and more versatile—in fact, we’d unconditionally recommend it as a “perching stool” for standing desk users who don’t have a treadmill. With similar ergonomic adjustability as the TreadTop Chair (only lacking a full-sized back rest), the Stool offers surprisingly good comfort—whether used as a seat, or as a standing “perch”—and is ideal for office [...]

In the world of active sitting, the CoreChair stands out by doing what the exercise ball never could: offer your core muscles a break. If you’ve used an exercise ball in the past only to ditch it after a short time, or are considering using one in the future, we recommend looking at the CoreChair. It’s a single chair solution that offers the benefits of an exercise ball without the detractions.

Office fitness product manufacturers often make claims that haven’t been tested or proven by any independent organization. They often tend to overestimate the fitness aspect as well. A third-party certification that provides evidence and measures how much energy one can burn on, say, an active chair is exactly what Mayo Clinic offers the companies that want to get an accurate reading on energy expenditure from their products and use the NEAT trademark to rise above the competition.

A soon-to-be Energy Star of office furniture, NEAT certification proves that a product enables, motivates, or tracks Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis—the energy we expend through non-exercise [...]