The GREATEST thing since sliced bread.. like, for real.

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bsmith986
bsmith986 Posts: 17 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So to start, I am in no way being rewarded or reimbursed for writing this (although that would be cool). I am just your typical, skeptical consumer, daily Amazon browser, overweight desk worker.. I could go on, but I won't. Anyway, I purchased a Desk Cycle on Amazon last week. I have used it for a couple of days now and I am in LOVE! I have cycled 20 miles a day, totaling about an hour of pedaling, burning approx. 500 calories. I pedal for a few minutes at a time so I don't get sweaty but i start to feel guilty if 20, 30, or 40 minutes passes and i haven't pedaled. Maybe I will work up to a more constant movement but I am still adjusting.

I hope this post might help fellow office workers in the future because I feel like it is a turning point for me!

P.S. I am a 5' 6", 280 lb female and my desk happens to be a good height for my legs but if you are tall or have a short desk, it may require some alterations. Also, I am still trying to figure out a chair that wont slide back on the rug when i pedal.

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  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    Report back in a few months. I remember the old Nordic Track machines and saw them everywhere......with a weeks worth of clothes on them.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    That's great but I would be a bit skeptical of the calorie burn.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    That's great but I would be a bit skeptical of the calorie burn.

    Well they said a total of an hour throughout the day...and they weigh 280 lbs...so I don't think 500 calories is completely out of the realm of possibility...plenty of cyclists/runners on here report pretty high numbers and say they work for them. Obviously a desk cycler is probably less productive than a real bike, but still....
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    edited April 2016
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    blues4miles wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    That's great but I would be a bit skeptical of the calorie burn.

    Well they said a total of an hour throughout the day...and they weigh 280 lbs...so I don't think 500 calories is completely out of the realm of possibility...plenty of cyclists/runners on here report pretty high numbers and say they work for them. Obviously a desk cycler is probably less productive than a real bike, but still....

    I would guess 500 calories burned to be possible in an hour considering her weight and the fact that some of those calories would have been burned doing nothing.

    OP, do you have a fit bit? If so what kind of stats are you getting on your fitbit?

    Keep it up!

    One of my coworkers has one under his desk. He uses it most of the day (he is a dispatcher and is pretty much tied to his desk). I will ask him if he keeps track of calories burned.

    Most of the desks in my office are adjustable to standing and working. I would rather be pedaling or have a desk treadmill than standing all the time. Pretty tiring just standing. I would rather be moving.



  • tgrzela
    tgrzela Posts: 7 Member
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    Wouldn't the UA Ride trader help with accurate calorie burn?
  • lindsayh87
    lindsayh87 Posts: 167 Member
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    @bsmith986 can you post the link to the one you bought? I've been considering getting one for myself but have no clue which to get!
  • sarochka85
    sarochka85 Posts: 103 Member
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    Great work finding a way to fit some exercise into a sedentary desk job, OP.

    As a next step, can you add some into your commute?

    Every little helps and the first steps into a fit life are the hardest, I think.
  • bsmith986
    bsmith986 Posts: 17 Member
    edited May 2016
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    snowflake930 wrote: »
    blues4miles wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    That's great but I would be a bit skeptical of the calorie burn.



    OP, do you have a fit bit? If so what kind of stats are you getting on your fitbit?





    I use a misfit but I haven't put it on my shoe to test that out, I may have to do that just to have a comparison. :)
  • bsmith986
    bsmith986 Posts: 17 Member
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    lindsayh87 wrote: »
    @bsmith986 can you post the link to the one you bought? I've been considering getting one for myself but have no clue which to get!

    http://www.amazon.com/DeskCycle-Exercise-Pedal-Exerciser-White/dp/B00B1VDNQA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462304141&sr=8-1&keywords=desk+cycle
  • bsmith986
    bsmith986 Posts: 17 Member
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    sarochka85 wrote: »
    Great work finding a way to fit some exercise into a sedentary desk job, OP.

    As a next step, can you add some into your commute?

    Every little helps and the first steps into a fit life are the hardest, I think.

    Thanks! Unfortunately my commute is 25+ miles all highway, otherwise i would break out my real bike for sure!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    snowflake930 wrote: »
    blues4miles wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    That's great but I would be a bit skeptical of the calorie burn.

    Well they said a total of an hour throughout the day...and they weigh 280 lbs...so I don't think 500 calories is completely out of the realm of possibility...plenty of cyclists/runners on here report pretty high numbers and say they work for them. Obviously a desk cycler is probably less productive than a real bike, but still....

    I would guess 500 calories burned to be possible in an hour considering her weight and the fact that some of those calories would have been burned doing nothing.

    OP, do you have a fit bit? If so what kind of stats are you getting on your fitbit?

    Keep it up!

    One of my coworkers has one under his desk. He uses it most of the day (he is a dispatcher and is pretty much tied to his desk). I will ask him if he keeps track of calories burned.

    Most of the desks in my office are adjustable to standing and working. I would rather be pedaling or have a desk treadmill than standing all the time. Pretty tiring just standing. I would rather be moving.



    I feel like a fit bit isn't going to track a desk cycle very much unless you keep it on your leg.


    OP- good job- I have a friend who has one and she really likes it- it definitely fall under one of those "every little bit helps" kind of things.

    I like the idea of keeping busy at work and just not flat "sitting" all day- so I think it's great. don't lean on it as a source of "I'm going to get super fit with it" obviously and you'll be fine.
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
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    I'm chained to my desk all day and would really like to get a bit more movement in. This may be just what I need, thanks for sharing!
  • Bghere1
    Bghere1 Posts: 78 Member
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    bsmith986 wrote: »
    UPDATE! More than a month of having my cycle and I am up to 50 miles per day, 1200+ calories burned. I make a little chart and shoot for 20 minutes of cycling per hour. I check them off as I go. :smile:

    results??
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    edited June 2016
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    bsmith986, good for you for finding a way to get some motion into your day :)

    my deskcycle is being delivered sometime today. i'm really looking forward to using it :)

    i thought about getting a fitdesk, and i might later, but the smaller crank arms on the deskcycle will be better for my knees right now - and i can pedal while i post on MFP :D

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