The 5 best balance boards for a standing desk
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A 2019 study showed that depending on your body type, using a standing desk can increase your energy expenditure throughout the workday, and adding a balance board can help further increase your energy expenditure and mix up your standing desk routine. The best balance boards for a standing desk have nonslip features to help you stay upright, and a limited range of motion that activates your muscles without distracting you from important tasks.
Whether you want to improve your posture or stay active at work, a great balance board can make spending the day at your desk even more engaging. Using a balance board with a standing desk also has a ton of its own potential health benefits, including improved balance, coordination, and injury prevention, since your time on the board helps strengthen crucial joints.
One important feature to look for when shopping for a balance board is a nonslip deck and feet. Especially if your desk is on a hardwood or tile floor, you’ll want to ensure that your board will stay in place and won’t slide around or out from under you. Some balance boards also come with a textured surface or grip tape to further increase friction and help you stay upright. Soft rubber feet or padding on the underside of your board will also prevent your balance board from leaving scuffs or scratches if you have hardwood floors.
It’s also a good idea to choose a balance board that gently rocks or wobbles in place — boards and trainers that roll around can be too difficult to use while working in front of a desk. For more advanced balancers with skateboarding, surfing, or snowboarding experience, there are also boards that allow you to adjust the difficulty for those times when you want more of a challenge. You’ll also want to check out the dimensions and weight capacity of the board, as those with larger feet might find smaller board decks less comfortable to stand on.
If you’re ready to add some activity into your standing desk routine, check out these great balance boards that’ll keep you mentally and physically engaged all day.
Shop the best balance boards for a standing desk
In a hurry? These are the best balance boards for a standing desk:
- The best overall: Fluidstance Balance Board for Standing Desk
- The best anti-fatigue board: Feziobo Standing Desk Anti-Fatigue Mat
- The best rocking balance board: StrongTek Footrest and Balance Board
- The best adjustable balance board: Blue Planet Balance Surfer
- The best balance board for work & play: Whirly Board
1. The best overall
Highlights:
- 360-degree motion
- Rubber bumpers keep things quiet
- Soft surface is easy on feet
With an overall 4.6-star rating on Amazon, this popular wobble balance board is made with 100% recycled materials, and its soft rocking motion is accessible enough for balance board beginners. Fluidstance recommends that you start out with using their balance board for 20% of your day to become accustomed to the fluid 360-degree range of motion, but reviewers noted that they had so much fun balancing that they’ve used it for up to six hours at a time. The rubber bumpers on the underside of this board are quiet on floors, and the limited range of motion allows you to gain the fitness benefits of moving at your desk without it being too distracting. This board also has a soft rubber material on the top of the deck that’s both comfortable for your feet and increases friction to prevent slipping.
One reviewer wrote: “Absolutely love it! I’ve had a standing desk for 9 months and found that standing for long periods caused my legs and feet to hurt, requiring sitting breaks, 1hr standing, 1 hr sitting. Now, with the Plane I’m able to stand longer, getting better blood flow to my legs, strengthening them and definitely improving my posture, which helps my core.”
Dimensions: 24 x 12 x 2.5 inches | Weight capacity: 250 pounds
2. The best anti-fatigue board
Highlights:
- Slighter range of motion requires less physical effort
- Raised points massage feet
This anti-fatigue balance board has small, raised points that stimulate and massage your feet to help your body stay loose and comfortable throughout the day. The small slope of the board doesn’t rock too far in any given direction, which is great for engaging your core for long periods of balancing but won’t be too physically demanding or distracting. The natural rubber backing on this board is also nonslip and anti-scratch, so you can balance knowing the board won’t slide away or ruin your floors. Reviewers called this balance board an essential for anyone with a standing desk, and it has a 4.5-star rating on Amazon with more than 3,000 reviews.
One reviewer wrote: “I love this balance board! I work from home at a standing desk. I bought this because my floors are concrete and standing at my desk for hours hurts my feet and joints. I am also a pretty active and fidgety person, so I love being able to sway back and forth on this while I'm in long meetings. It is very well built and nice looking. The anti-fatigue mat with the bumps feels so good on my feet. Highly recommend!”
Dimensions: 20 x 12 x 2.2 inches | Weight capacity: 320 pounds
3. The best rocking balance board
Highlights:
- Doubles as a footrest
- Rocks front to back only
- Textures surface provides nonslip grip
If the idea of wobbling in all directions sounds too demanding for use with your standing desk, this combination footrest and balance board only rocks front to back, isolating crucial ankle muscles. The cherry wood construction can support up to 350 pounds, and the anti-slip grips on the curved feet of the board prevent sliding and help you stay in place. There’s also grip tape across the top of the board that’ll help you keep your footing in shoes, but it may snag on socks or irritate bare feet. If you ever work at your desk while seated, this board also doubles as a gently rocking footrest.
One reviewer wrote: “It looks very nice and is the perfect height for my feet under my desk. It is very well constructed and solid and I have no qualms with even standing on it and putting full weight on it. I love the rocking motion. Also as an added bonus, I figured out if you stand on it with toes both pointed ahead (I hold on to something) and slowly rock heels back (so they go down and toes go up) it is an excellent gentle stretch for your calves!”
Dimensions: 17.7 x 10.5 x 4.4 inches | Weight capacity: 350 pounds
4. The best adjustable balance board
Highlights:
- Adjustable inserts let you switch rocking direction and increase difficulty
- Also great for training for sports like paddle boarding and surfing
This bamboo adjustable balance board is great for those who want to build up their balance skills over time. When using the standard bamboo deck, this board only rocks laterally side to side, but you can use the three plastic inserts to increase the balance difficulty or range of motion. Each insert has two different curves that change the main rocking direction of the board, adding up to seven different settings in one product. Reviewers noted that this board is not only fun for using while at your desk, but is also a great training for sports like standup paddle boarding and surfing.
One reviewer wrote: “I got this balance board primarily for use with my standup desk because of it's versatility. With no Balance Modules inserted, the board only has side to side movement. As you add the progressively harder Green, Yellow, and Red Balance Modules, you introduce more heel/toe action, in addition to the side to side movement.I've also used it for pushups and body weight squats (usually in between breaks from my standing desk).It's very durable. Overall, it is a great way to help maintain good posture, fight foot fatigue, and keep active and energized for a long day of standing.”
Dimensions: 26.1 x 12.8 x 8.8 inches | Weight capacity: 500 pounds
5. The best balance board for work & play
Highlights:
- 360-rocking motion plus spinning
- Skateboard-like deck helps you position your feet
This skateboard-style balance board not only can help you stay active at your standing desk, but is also great to use just for fun. The round rubber dome under the center of the board allows you to rock in all directions (and even spin) but isn’t so demanding that it’ll distract from your work. Two rubber feet help you stay balanced and stop the board from moving if you touch the ground, which can help you regain your balance and prevent falls, and there’s clear grip tape to help your shoes stick to the surface. The skateboard-like deck also has a curved edge kick-tail on either side, so it’s easy to keep your feet in their proper placement without feeling like you’re sliding off the edge. The only potential downside of using this balance board is that reviewers reported that their co-workers constantly wanted to borrow it.
One reviewer wrote: “If you are like me and spend a lot of time at a desk (for fun or otherwise) and you want to mix it up with some physical exertion and training, this is a great choice. This is definitely the best balance board to get for a standing desk since it can be used away from the standing desk for more than just balancing if you want it to. It looks the best out of the humdrum options out there, too. You just can't go wrong with this one.”
Dimensions: 32 x 8.25 x 4 inches | Weight capacity: not rated (but tested up to 300 pounds)
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