Scandinavian trend: Balance board can eliminate public health threat

Sedentary work is an imminent health threat in society today, and as a result, many Australians suffer from back and neck pain. A new Scandinavian trend, standing on a balance board, improves our efficiency and posture while working.

Physically, our bodies are built to move, to hunt and gather berries and firewood, but an active lifestyle is not the norm of the modern everyday life. As most of the Australian workforce has shifted from active manual labour to desk jobs, the once active lifestyle has been replaced by a sedentary one. According to the initiative, Get Australia Standing, Australians sit almost 10 hours each day on average.

This causes many challenges as a sedentary lifestyle carries with it an increased risk of contracting a variety of lifestyle diseases. Data shows, that being physically active throughout the day is crucial to your health and

it is well documented that sitting increases the risk of contracting a variety of diseases, including diabetes, numerous heart diseases and even cancer. 

But now a new Scandinavian trend may be able to show the Australians how to lead a healthier, less sedentary life. In Scandinavia, 95 percent of sedentary workers have sit-stand desks. However, standing at these can be very uncomfortable. This is also what Gitte Toft, the female inventor of the balance board Steppie, experienced after working several years within the field of office ergonomics. Therefore, she set out to develop the balance board Steppie, with the aim of encouraging movement and making it more enjoyable to stand at sit-stand desks.

Scandinavians move, balance, and stay sharp!

The number of sit-stand desks is rising in Australia, and as it does Australians are likely to experience the same discomfort of prolonged standing as the Scandinavians. Steppie has been created to combat this discomfort and allow a better utilisation of sit-stand desks. The human body is physically capable of standing comfortably for hours, when positioned in a dynamic and moveable position instead of a standing, static one. The positive effects of getting up on a balance board includes less lower back pain, increased balance, improved posture and a lower risk of heart diseases. 

– Sedentary work has become an imminent health threat in our society, but by standing on a balance board, you are constantly in motion. And unlike other balance boards that require lots of concentration to use, anyone can use a Steppie, because it tilts in a much more controlled manner, says Allen Field, CEO at OPC Ergonomics Pty. Ltd. 

Australia is a growth market for Steppie, where the balance board is currently distributed through OPC Ergonomics’ retail partners. OPC specialises in the distributing and import of ergonomic office products and only market high quality products.  

Steppieis a young business on the rise that develops, produces and sells Steppie Balance Board, which is sold in Scandinavia, Benelux, England, Germany, selected Asian markets, the United States and Australia. Steppie allows a better utilisation of height-adjustable tables in offices and can help reduce sitting time as well as injuries and pain caused by too much sitting.www.steppieshop.au  

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