Creating a lifestyle of motion with Fluidstance
There is a lot of talk about the negatives of a sedentary lifestyle, or of the modern day office worker sitting all day. Studies show that reducing excessive sitting to three hours per day could increase the life expectancy in the US by two years!
If you have a job that requires you to be at your computer screen all day, it can be tough to incorporate motion into your life. We sat down with Founder & CEO, Joel Heath, and asked him about his inspiration to transform the modern world.
Can you tell us a little bit about FluidStance and the mission behind the company?
FluidStance’s sole purpose is to help set the world in motion. We believe that motion does not have to be restricted to the gym or require large blocks of time when you can “sneak” in a little movement into your day. It is the subtle, constant movement that can have an even greater cumulative impact in the bigger picture of our lives…creating a lifestyle of motion and counteracting the detriments of sedentary sitting or standing.
What inspired you to create FluidStance?
The concept was built from my own personal pain point at my desk job. Prior to 2009, I ran my own company in Vail, Colorado where I would ski, bike, kayak or hike 60-80 + days a year while I ran a successful business. Movement was a part of business. It was common for my team and I to meet on the chairlift to discuss a business opportunity or issue. After successfully selling that company in late 2008, I came to work for an adventure footwear brand in corporate America, where I found myself sitting 60-80 hours a week. I began to lose my mojo both physically and emotionally. Early in the standup desk movement, I adopted one and found it to be beneficial, but slowly realized I had shifted my sedentary nature from my seat to my hips and knees. It is obvious now, but I concluded our bodies are meant to move, not sit or stand for long periods of time. I also had seen in my previous company how powerful movement could be in inspiring creativity and innovation throughout all facets of work. I started to play with concepts in my garage how we could create subtle movement while we maintained productivity at a workstation – in fact, enhancing productivity.
Twenty-seven prototypes later, FluidStance was born – the sweet spot of enough movement to matter, but not too much to distract you from the work at hand. Truly a win-win.
What are some of the massive benefits of using FluidStance while you work?
In short, we elevate your energy expenditure by over 19%, as found by the Mayo Clinic’s study of FluidStance’s Level, while your range of motion is increased by over 20 degrees – similar to what your lower legs experience while they walk. More importantly, 83% of our users report being happier at their desk while on FluidStance’s product. The full benefits and sources of the research can be found here.
Do you see FluidStance being useful for digital nomads?
As Nomads inherently know in their bones, we are meant to move. FluidStance is another tool in a digital nomad’s quiver to find movement when they need to hunker down to get’r done.
Thanks Joel! If you're pumped about inserting more motion into your life, we're got great news! We'll be giving ONE FLUIDSTANCE at our next happy hour event on August 17th from 6-9 PM at Input Lofts.