🏃‍♂️ Why your workday needs movement

Good Morning,

I’m compiling this newsletter from an Alabama burger joint, because I’m visiting town, I was starving, and… simply because it’s possible. No regrets at all; I am quite literally in Hamburger Heaven.

That said, an important disclaimer: just because you can work from anywhere, doesn’t always mean you should. With internet access everywhere, it can be difficult to actually separate work from life.

After all, the ultimate goal of remote work is to enable more great experiences outside of work itself, whether in the form of family time, traveling, or anything else that gives your life meaning.

In this week’s edition: LOTS of interesting data about remote workers. And if you missed Amazon’s “Prime Big Deal Days” last week, we’ve rounded up a few more home office products for you to check out ⬇️

👀 10% of remote workers have worked while naked. It’s true - and here are some other stats that a recent CraftJack study found about remote workers:

• 81% find it easier to eat healthy while working from home

• 60% do laundry while on the clock

• 54% have worked from their bed

• 25% believe their employer is monitoring their activity

• 62% say nothing would entice them to return to the office

• 10% of Gen Z remote workers use mouse jigglers

And while it’s been known that chairs and desks are the top two items people want to improve their home offices, 67% said those items are too expensive to buy today. On that note, we’ll keep working to find discounted chairs and desks for you. Keep an eye out for more chair and desk promos, especially during Black Friday and Cyber Monday next month. (Forbes)

🏋️ Taking a 5-min movement break every 30 minutes during the workday can have big health benefits. The cycle of “type, tap, collapse” that we go through for 40 hours every week opens the door for long-term health impacts if we don’t instill good work habits.

A recent Indicator podcast episode shared that over 90% of all jobs require digital skills, and over 80% are sedentary. These trends are causing higher diabetes rates and worse eyesight, among other health issues.

But a Columbia University Medical Center found that, during a standard sedentary workday, moving for 5 minutes every half hour during a period of prolonged sitting can offset many of the harmful effects of sitting still for extended periods of time.

When the podcast host went through this daily routine, her blood sugar levels dropped by 42%, her blood pressure dropped, she was more productive, and she reported being in a better mood all day. More movement is better for individuals, and in turn, better for their employers. (The Indicator Podcast)

🚶‍♂️ For those who want to move more now: here’s a list of some great under-desk treadmills, led by the Lifespan TR1200-DT3, the Bluefin Fitness Task 2.0, and the JTX Movelight Treadmill. (TechRadar)

🪑 And for a desk chair upgrade, we like these reviews from Tom’s Guide. There are some familiar names at the top, like Branch and Steelcase, but they also have lesser-known brands like Flash Furniture, which has this budget option for $72.30. (Tom’s Guide)

🧑‍💻 Three years into widespread remote work, here are several important takeaways:

• More women are now able to participate in the labor force

• Remote productivity studies are “all over the map” and heavily dependent on managers’ strategies and skills

• Populations have generally shifted to more affordable housing locations

• Economic activity in downtown city centers has declined

New trends will surely continue to emerge, but these above - including the constant “productivity” argument - are likely to be here for good. (New York Times)

🏡 A new startup: Airbnb for coworking spaces. The Portland, OR-based company Radious has developed a new solution for remote workers to occasionally work outside their own home: individuals or teams can rent out a residential house for the day to work from. We’ve talked before about Airbnbs being great for workcations; Radious is taking the model a step further for even shorter rental time periods. (Insider)

👩‍💼 DEI initiatives are hurt by return to office. Plenty of studies and polls have shown that remote work improves the labor force participation rate for women. Further, those with marginalized identities are far more likely to want flexible work options.

But a recent survey of CEOs at large corporations reveals they expect remote work to dwindle, which would obviously hurt these DEI efforts. Fingers crossed that these CEOs who are resistant to change either retire or realize the huge upsides to encouraging remote work in the next few years. (Axios)

🌁 This couple moved from SF for the Tulsa Remote program. They went from paying $2,500 a month for an apartment to $1,400 - and Tulsa Remote also gave them $10,000 each. The program continues to attract talent to Tulsa and boasts that 76% of participants stay in Tulsa after the one-year program ends. (USA Today)

🚢 The first multi-year cruise ship is launching soon. It’s not necessarily for remote workers, but this three-year cruise expedition - with rooms starting at $38,500/yr - might be appealing if you can work from anywhere and want to roam around the world by sea. (CNBC)

Thinking about mid-day movement, I still occasionally use this balance board I got from Uplift several years ago - it’s nice to be able to shift weight around while at a standing desk, and in theory (?) it activates your core. If you’re in the market, FluidStance is one of the leaders in the space since pre-covid.

What do you use to move more during the workday? And who here has experience with the under-desk treadmills? Would love to hear from you if you’ve used one!

Cheers,
Grant