This is a post written in collaboration with Xdesk—an Elephant Mindful Partner. We’re honored to work with mindful companies like Xdesk—dedicated to improving our health and happiness while helping us get our work done, sustainably. ~ Ed

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“Let us have good head and shoulders—the basic elegant posture of enlightenment.” ~ Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
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I’m not even halfway into my working day and my hips and shoulders already ache.

So far, I’ve adjusted my chair and screen (once, twice…and again), stretched, and gotten up to refill my coffee (once, twice…and again) in an effort to keep myself focused—but nothing seems to help.

The more uncomfortable I feel, the more distracted and restless I become. By lunchtime, my stiff, aching body seems to have forgotten I even spent an hour exercising this morning.

And I’m not alone.

Americans spend as much as 95% of the day sitting, and it’s taking a major toll on our health.

Studies show that spending 1-2 hours at the gym per day doesn’t offset the damage done by sitting so long. Not only is it causing us pain, hurting our waistlines, and killing our productivity—it’s actually killing us.

This may sound a bit dramatic, but it’s no joke: the statistics speak for themselves.

Recent research has found those who sit more than three hours per day are likely to die earlier. Sit six or more hours and you have a 37% increased risk of mortality.

You see, although extended sitting has become part of our modern lifestyle, our bodies aren’t designed for this.

Our bodies are built for standing.

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change positions, change your life: explore the xdesk range.

The human body burns an extra 60 calories per hour when standing. Over time, standing for just two hours a day can help you lose up to 20 pounds per year.

But it isn’t just the standing that’s key. It’s the movement between both sitting and standing.

If we look at the type of work our ancestors did, it was generally physical and varied. During most of the last 2,000 years we’ve foraged for food, tended crops, and hunted—spending almost all of our time either standing or in motion.

Change starts with movement.

When we alternate regularly between sitting and standing, we rev up our metabolism and burn more calories, even when we are sitting. There are many proven benefits of a standing desk alone, including:

• Higher, and more sustained energy levels (meaning less need for those coffee refills)

• Increased productivity and focus

• Improved digestion

• Improved posture and confidence (Buddhists will tell you that half our state of mind is dependent on our posture.)

So, we know standing desks are better for us than sitting, but an adjustable height desk could literally add years to your life—making you fitter, more energetic, and even reducing your risk of major diseases.

Change your working position between standing and sitting throughout the day, by walking, stretching, and using an adjustable desk, and you’re more likely to have a smaller waist circumferences, lower body mass index, and reduced levels of triglycerides and glucose your bloodstreams compared to someone who sits all day.

This is where the Xdesk comes in.

Standing up for even 5-10 minutes every hour can reduce fatigue, reduce the risk of major diseases, and even prolong our lives, but who has the time to fuss with a manually adjustable desk every hour?

This is just one of the features that makes the Xdesk both practical and sexy—a pretty neat combination. With the touch of a high-tech height adjustable controller, Xdesk begins and ends its seamless gliding motion to one of over 200 possible sitting and standing positions.

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change positions, change your life: explore the xdesk range.

And, while it moves so smoothly you don’t have to take your cup of coffee off the desk, it’s also speedy at 1.7 inches per second, which is 54% faster than any other desk like it.

But, unlike over 80% of standing desks on the market, it’s not made in China. Every single one of these clever, classy desks is handcrafted to order right here in Georgetown, Texas.

And in a world where fewer and fewer things are made by people who actually enjoy making them, Xdesk is passionate to the point of being obsessive about building furniture in the same way our forefathers did: to last.

Perhaps the most important thing, however, to those who give a care about the environment (and we all should, seeing as we kinda rely on it) is that the Xdesk is made from sustainable materials.

Bamboo is the most easily replenished woody plant on earth and recycled recycled aircraft grade aluminum is highly sustainable. Their signature Aluma-tec solid aluminum frame and Terra natural bamboo desktop is standard for each Xdesk, and they’re also free of formaldehyde, solvent-based paints, and other toxins.

If you’re super design-conscious or just a picky shopper, the Xdesk is perfect for you because it has over 12,000 possible combinations: from desktop materials and metal finishes to organization tools and innovative accessories like treadmill and bicycle add-ons.

No wonder it’s the most awarded standing desk ever.

A truly ergonomic desk will change your life for the better, and Xdesk is not only commited to the evolution of the desk, but to the evolution of the person using it.

change positions. change your life. explore the xdesk range.

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Editor: Khara-Jade Warren