The LEVEL – getting people moving in the workplace

Innovative workplace products always catch our attention! This is how we came across the LEVEL, FluidStance’s brand new product, offering a solution to long sitting hours at the office. Complying with the anti-sitting agenda of medical researchers, continuously stressing the negative effects of sitting down for long hours, LEVEL enables you to move, without distracting you from your work task.
Exclusive for eOffice, Founder Joel Heath unveils the benefits and how he came with the idea about this innovative product.
How was the idea about LEVEL born?

I went from owning my own business in Vail, Colorado where I could ski, bike or kayak 60-80 days a year to a corporate gig in California where I was at a desk for 60 hours a week.  I moved to a stand up desk and enjoyed the benefits immensely, but realized standing all day was hard too.  The body was meant to move.  Fast forward to today, I started to play with ways that you could move your body while at your desk.  I liked the concept of treadmill desks, but that seemed unrealistic.  I wanted an option that was accessible, didn’t require a plug and could be used in a variety of environments.  Lastly, we challenged our design to be worthy of a high rise office space and not a piece of equipment.  The LEVEL was born.

How and where can you use LEVEL?

The most obvious place for use is at a standup desk, but it can also be used in meetings, on calls at a traditional desk or for call centers.  It is also a great accompaniment for video games and homework.  

What are the main benefits of the LEVEL?

Your heart is increased an average of 15% over sitting and your range of motion is 20x greater than standing – similar to what you would experience walking in your lower legs.  Lastly, it is just more playful.

How do you envision the future of the office desk?

I foresee people’s time being compartmentalize with 70% of their day sitting (commuting, eating, meetings etc), 20% of their day in a state of flow on a product like FluidStance’s LEVEL where they are moving but attached to a specific place or technology and lastly 10% of the day actually moving (walking, running, biking etc).  The key to all of this is a flexible workspace that allows for moderation over the idea that focus requires being sedentary.

To support FluidStance and the development of their forward-thinking product the LEVEL check their crowdfunding campaign and choose from one of the offered perks.