Talking Health & Wellness In The Workplace With Limber Desk
If you know me personally, or if you’ve read my blog explaining why I love to turn up to work every day, you’ll know I’m kinda obsessed with my Limber Desk: A dynamic desk that allows me to stand up, sit down, and kneel in all sorts of postures so I stay focused and happy at work.
I discovered Limber Desk not through a Google search online, but by literally bumping shoulders with the founder, Bart de Vries, at a conference in Wellington, June 2019. After the conference, Bart showed me some awesome spots around Wellington, and I quickly caught onto the fact he was a legitimate change maker who gives a crap- not just a dude who sells desks.
Bart de Vries: Founder, Limber Desk.
In fact, Bart is not only passionate about creating a desk that is made sustainably and with longevity, but also educating the public on how to work efficiently by respecting and supporting their wellbeing day in and day out.
If you’re looking at purchasing a Limber Desk (the best dynamic desk and better than any New Zealand standing desk I’ve discovered) or if you simply want a refresh on healthy workplace practices, enjoy hearing from Bart as he answers a few of my questions below…
Bart, why build desks? Why move away from physiotherapy?
Why do we work in spaces surrounded by objects that limit our bodies ability to move? Our bodies are made for movement, they need movement to survive; all functions of our body need movement to operate. Yet our desks, chairs, couches, our environments limit us. What if they didn't? What if our bodies were the only thing that could limit us? What if we could improve our bodies health and ability during a day at work just because the space lets us move like humans, without restriction? What potential could we tap and unleash on the world working in spaces that were like this?
Many of us spend the majority of our most productive years at a desk in front of screens. I was one of these people. When I shifted out of physio and stopped playing professional hockey to look for new ways to improve people's health and learn about business, I started to experience all of the problems that are well known with sitting static at a desk. I got tight hips, a sore lower back, shoulders, neck and headaches (not to mention the lack of energy and productivity slumps it was creating*). It was rough. I also had my friends coming to me and asking for help all the time with their backs, shoulders etc. The irony was real, so I looked for a good desk but couldn't find one that let me move fully, like a human body can and should move. So with a group of talented friends (engineers and designers), we decided to build our dream personal workspace and got to it.
*Sitting for prolonged periods is also associated with long term risk increases of cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
The most difficult part about running a business that holds people/planet at the forefront?
This is a great question and I don't think it is any different to trying to live a more sustainable life individually. The hardest thing is maintaining a much longer term view on your actions and their consequences. It is human for this to be difficult in our day and age as many of the impacts are not directly felt by us and requires immense empathy and dedication to do it well. I must admit I am not perfect by any means, but I am getting better, and that's what I think is important. We can't all live perfectly sustainable lives, it is a privilege to even consider it, but we can look to be living a little more sustainably each month. It will add up.
Just like trying to find the best washing powder or deodorant for home, suppliers not having a clue where their products come from, how they are made, who makes them etc is an ongoing frustration. It is quite hard to track all your materials to the source, but I do enjoy putting pressure on suppliers to do better.
The best Limber Desk success story you've had to date.
I love the individual stories the most. Elizabeth, who is a Limber lifer, pointed out to me that Limber actually solves a bunch of challenges women have in the workplace that have been unacknowledged. Like, did you know, the traditional desk height is based on a male army standard and is too high for most women!?
Limber adjusts to any height and can adapt to suit any torso or body shape with the monitors going up and down as well. Also, the stool is great for women in their third trimester of pregnancy, a number of friends have grabbed them to help position the baby. Or the problem of having to plug the power under the table and showing your ass off to everyone!? #Dignity. Not with Limber, the plugs are all in the desk. I'd love to hear more about these challenges from women and any other things that might make the day easier to build the ultimate personal workspace for them. Send me a message with any ideas you have: bart@limber.nz
I have also had multiple people tell me that a week after using Limber that they are happier, and the only thing they can attribute the difference to is that they have been using their Limber. It is awesome and gives me so much joy!
4 things people can do to improve their work-life quality?
1. Turn up
Turn up 2x per week to something that makes you sweat. Focus on just turning up, nothing else, just get there, turn up. That could be some high intensity training in your life, or some time in the sauna to get your sweat on! Exercise and sweating is a mechanism that burns off the stress hormone cortisol that builds up in our bloodstream in a modern lifestyle. Over time, if not being sweated out, cortisol contributes to anxiety, loss of clarity, poor sleep, depression, etc. The bad stuff.
Sweet Fact: Did you know, the closer to the equator you go the lower the rates of chronic pain and anxiety? True story.
Sweat. Find something (make it social with friends) to do where you'll have to sweat and focus on "just turning up". I love small group exercise classes, but that's not for everyone. You do you, make it fun, social and only focus on turning up to it.
2. 2 before 2
Life sucks that little bit extra when you are dehydrated. Drink two litres of water before 2pm. Having energy at the end of the day is not possible if you are not hydrated. Grouchy or short fused in the afternoons/evenings and don't know why? Likely dehydrated. 2 before 2! It's the best!
3. Death to sugar
Say no to refined sugar; it's poison and will be messing with you big time. No added refined sugar. Fruit? All good, eat up. This needs a 30 day challenge. Commit to no sugar for 30 days and come the end of it notice how much more stable your energy is throughout the day. The first 10 days can be a bit wobbly, push through it and say no to sugar, you'll notice how much of a drug it really is and a whole new level of how good you can feel.
4. Sit on the floor
Take any opportunity you can get to sit on the floor. Why? Sitting on the floor, be it cross-legged, kneeling, side sitting or others, does good things for us. Try it. Notice how it takes a bit of flexibility, strength and balance to get to the floor. Then, when sitting, how it is stretching out the joints and muscles of your lower limb. Now change positions when you are on the floor. There are more postural variations available to you on the floor, each one doing something good for your body and each movement starting to increase you pelvic and lower back stability (you’ll notice at the start it’s not always easy, go slow and stop if causing pain). Then, get up. Notice again the power, flexibility and balance needed to do this. Imagine doing this everyday whilst you work and how much your movement would improve because you are choosing to use and improve your body.
Not only this, but the extra stimulus in your joints and muscles regulates your nervous system, stimulates your brain and is where the increased creativity, focus and productivity benefits come from (we are studying this in detail with University of California at Berkeley right now).
It also makes it super easy to understand how the simple action of going from standing to floor sitting and back up to standing is a common health test used by healthcare professionals. They use it because there is good research that shows our ability to do this is connected to longevity, or more broadly over health and wellbeing.
Combine all four of these things to go exponential on your health. You'll notice huge changes in how you feel and are functioning in only a few months. Let me know how you get on!
Your favourite position at the Limber Desk?
Half kneeling! Using the stool with one leg kneeling and one leg in front of me with the knee up (a huggable knee). It feels so good and keeps me focussed during the afternoons.
Anything else to add?
Think about this. During the course of your life, the space you work in is the space where you will do the most and give your largest contribution to the world from. Value yourself, value your health and make your workspace the perfect space for you. Own your space.
Bart being awesome at his Limber Desk.