Ever heard of NEAT, aka non-exercise activity thermogenesis? This is everyday movement that you get outside of structured exercise sessions. It can play a large part in increasing your daily metabolism and boosting your health. Since many of us sit at work a large portion of the day, using different movement modalities – like the Whirly Board! – at a standing desk is one way to boost your NEAT each day.
Case in point: As a fitness and food blogger, I want to stay active, but I also need to be at my computer quite a bit to type up content, edit photos, and answer emails. I’m sure you have similar computer tasks that you’re doing at your job!
The Whirly Board is a skateboard-shaped balance board designed to bring movement to your standing desk set up. The best part? In addition to being fun, it likely offers additional health benefits compared to standing alone.
Disclaimer: I received a sample board, however the decision to create this review post was not sponsored. This post does contain Amazon affiliate links; I earn a commission on purchases.
Why Use a Whirly Board in Addition to a Standing Desk
You’ve probably heard the phrase “sitting is the new smoking” – but is a standing desk dramatically better?
Some research suggest significant benefits to standing desks, like this study that found standing desks reduced neck and shoulder pain and increased vitality in work tasks. Another study found that sit-stand desks led to improvements in triglyceride levels and insulin resistance in sedentary adults.
But other studies have come out over the last few years indicating that standing desks may not be as impactful as once thought. For example, a study found that standing rather than sitting didn’t dramatically change daily energy expenditure (but walking did). Another study found that long periods of time standing may not lower cardiovascular disease risk and may lead to higher risk of a specific type of circulatory issue (orthostatic circulatory disease).
As a trainer and fitness coach, here’s my take:
- Alternating between standing and sitting frequently throughout the day is likely better than just sitting.
- Adding in some type of movement is better than stationary standing. Movement could be a walking pad, stepper, or using something that makes exercise fun like a Whirly Board!
First Impressions and Product Details
Straight out of the box, you’ll notice the product looks like a skateboard. Straight up childhood nostalgia for me. I liked that there’s no set up that goes along with this; it’s shipped already ready to use.
You can either get a wide board or an original board – I have the wide board. I personally feel like the wide board is better for standing desk users, while the original is probably better for folks using it for sporting practice.
As I took it out, the wooden board felt very durable. It’s made from Canadian maple. Also in the package was a little card with a serial number. I found out the company offers a lifetime guarantee for any manufacturing defects – meaning if for some reason it did break or there was an issue, they’d replace it. (You can find warranty details here).
Depending on the board you get, it will either be coated with cork rubber or standard skateboard grip tape. I have the wide board that has the standard grip tape, which feels almost sandpaper-ish – sounds odd, but I like it because it means my sneakers aren’t slipping off it while using it.
The cork rubber topping has the benefit of being able to be used with or without shoes though, which is nice. It looks like the boards that are currently on Amazon are the cork rubber top, but you can head to the Whirly Board website if you want the skateboard grip top.
As you can see below, it’s got a large ball in the center and two smaller balls on each end. This allows you to rock back and forth from side to side or forward and backward, and also allows you to spin around.
You can actually spin independently on each of the three spheres, but the smaller ones are more relevant for folks buying these to practice snowboard or skateboard tricks. Most standing desk users are probably going to only be spinning on the bigger center sphere.
The product can be used on carpet, which was good since that’s the set up in my home office. If you have hardwood floors, you can order a mat to use it on instead.
Using it During the Workday
At first, I was a little wobbly on here, but the learning curve is minimal. Balancing or rocking while standing at your desk is pretty easy, and if I’m doing any type of work where I have to type or I’m on camera – that’s how I’ll use it.
But if I’m watching a professional development video or I’m on a Zoom meeting where my camera is off? Time to spin, baby!
I find that spinning really engages the core muscles. It takes a few times to get the hang of spinning around, but once you do – you’ll embrace that inner child and I’m sure you’ll love it.
But it’s also been good for my work. I find that moving more throughout the day leads to more creativity and problem solving. I thought maybe this was just me being woo-woo about it but turns out there’s research to support this.
For example, this study found that everyday movement over five days was linked to higher creativity and positive mood. And a systematic review found that there was fairly consistent associations between acute bouts of exercise and creativity (which varied from weak to modest depending on the studies). Similarly, research has shown that substituting sitting with standing and stepping led to increased work engagement.
Review Video
If you want to check it out in action, you can see the board and how it works in this quick review video:
Is the Whirly Board Right for You?
Do you want to stay more active during your workday? Are you looking for an option that can help improve balance and engage core strength? And do you have a little extra cash to spend?
If so, the Whirly Board is a great option, and you can check it out on Amazon. I truly love mine. It’s more of an investment than some of the basic balance boards you’ll find online, but it offers more functionality and motion patterns than those too.
It’s also awesome for fidgety kids that need to be moving around at home (speaking from experience, haha) – and makes a great gift for fitness-focused moms.
However, there are a few people that I’d say should stay away from the Whirly Board: those who are pregnant, those who have a high risk of falls, those with an existing injury that could worsen from stumbling off the board, and those with vertigo that may be triggered by the spinning or rocking. The reason is the increased risk of falls or serious injury in these populations.
The Bottom Line
The Whirly Board can help keep you moving at your standing desk, which has many benefits for health and work. And it’s also FUN! If you’ve got the spare funds to invest in one, it might make a great addition to your home office this year.
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