Staying active is a daunting task when you have to sit in front of a screen all day. Sitting for long periods of time can lead to lack of motivation, sluggish performance, and decreased productivity. As a result, simple tasks take hours to complete, and even a lot of caffeine doesn’t help.
Next, we’ll explore some Chrome extensions to help you get more mobile. So if you’ve been working at your desk for a long time, you’ll find these extensions useful.
1. DeskAthlete
DeskAthlete is the perfect one-stop solution to help you improve your mobility while working at your desk for long periods of time. The extension system includes more than 40 exercises to help you stay in shape. While most exercises or instructions are simple, more difficult exercises come with instructional videos. Therefore, there is no steep learning curve.
In the extension’s settings, you can also customize the extension to your liking. In addition to setting the interval for each reminder, you can also turn on flashing reminders so that the extension flashes after each interval, forcing you to turn it on and do exercises.
In addition, there are several types of exercises: basic reminders, strength exercises, movement activities, and stretching. You can enable or disable any of these exercise types from appearing in the reminder. DeskAthlete also allows users to add custom exercises that appear in reminders, which is a good tip.
Download: DeskAthlete for Chrome
2. 30s Neck Stretch
The importance of maintaining good neck health cannot be overemphasized. When we sit next to a computer, we tend to rely on our necks to prop up the posture, so neck strains can slow us down. That’s what the neck stretcher did in the 30s.
This extended feature reminds you to stretch your neck, and its interval is set to 45 minutes by default, so you’ll receive your first reminder three-quarters of an hour later. When you receive the first reminder, a pop-up window will appear with a timer in the upper right corner. When pressed, the 30-second countdown begins.
You can change the reminder interval by clicking on the options in the same window. In addition, there is a “how to” button that takes you to a YouTube tutorial on neck stretching exercises. Stretching your neck regularly may leave you without having to see a masseuse for months.
Download: 30s Neck Stretch for Chrome
3. Limber
Think of Limber as your digital orthotist who helps you maintain the right posture to maintain your spine health. No matter what kind of ergonomic office chair you use, staying static for a long time can lead to gradual degeneration of joints, muscles, and tendons, and ligaments. That’s what Limber does.
By activating the two boxes, reminding me to stay relaxed and reminding me to rest, you will be reminded to change your posture and take a break. The time intervals for these two options are 10 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively. You should tick these two options to keep your spine health in tip-top shape.
The downside is that the extension doesn’t provide a customized option to adjust the break reminder interval. You have two options on its interface to enable the type of reminder you want and no other options for tweaking.
Download: Limber for Chrome
4. DeskTrainer
If you spend too much time on a distracted website and a website blocker fails to help you fix the habit, DeskTrainer can help you stay accountable. With the extension, you can add a list of distracting websites that are your biggest time occupiers. You can then set a time limit (in minutes) for how long you want to spend on a distracting site before the extension redirects you to another site.
Once you reach this threshold, you’ll be redirected to another website that forces you to exercise. The DeskTrainer extension allows you to choose the activity days of the week, the start and end times of each day’s startup, and the entire workout time.
As a punishment for those who put off exercising while browsing distracting websites, DeskTrainer adds 30 seconds to the entire workout time. If you wish to use this option, check the box next to “Add 30 second penalty for delayed workouts” before clicking Save Settings. When used with DeskAthlete, you will find That DeskTrainer more time-saving and practical.
Download: DeskTrainer for Chrome
5. Embody
Regular breaks for stretching, walking, or meditation can benefit your physical and mental health, and Embody can assist you in doing just that. By providing you with rest reminders at intervals of your choosing, Embody encourages you to reconnect with your body. As for reminder prompts, Embody sends them through web pages and desktops. Therefore, there is no possibility of missing a reminder.
The more you act on each reminder, the more you can help reduce or prevent dark circles and back pain. You can also promote a better emotional connection with your body and your work. The extension’s interface is also super intuitive. You can edit the interval between reminders, turn reminders off, or adjust the types of reminders you want to receive.
Download: Embody for Chrome
6. Move It
More than 9,000 users worldwide use Move It to improve their mobility. When you find it difficult to entertain yourself while resting at your desk, Move It will help you. After each interval, Move It opens a window on your screen with a short exercise for your reference. During breaks, you can walk around the office, climb stairs, or do a casual activity to warm up.
Once you’ve completed the exercise, you can go back to your desk, tap Done, and then continue working until another interval has passed, and Move It suggests you do another exercise. Move It is not customizable, so you only have the option to enable or disable extended features or adjust the time interval. Still, that’s all you need to get out of that extension.
Download: Move It for Chrome
Use extensions to improve your mobility
Taking advantage of the above extensions will definitely help improve your mobility, so make sure you try all of them. You should also try to combine them with each other to determine which pair is best for you.
