Get out of your chair and 'StandApp'
By Elizabeth Comeau
Boston.com Staff
Reviewing: StandApp
By: Lyonel Douge
Available on: iPhone
Price: Free
Should you get it? Yes, if you need a reminder to get up from your desk job
OK, I fully admit that the idea behind this app sounds foolish and unnecessary: An app that reminds you to get out of your desk chair and stand up at various intervals during the day.
But I'm a web producer. Other than the fact that I'm training for a half-marathon, my entire day is spent sitting down at my computer.
StandApp is really straightforward: Download the free app and tell it at which specific interval you would like to be reminded to get up.
You can choose from 15, 30, 60, 90, or 120 minute intervals. Once you pick a time, a countdown clock starts ticking away the minutes until the alarm goes off.
When the alert comes up on the screen, you can pull up a list of suggested moves (such as an ankle stretch, neck/arm exercises), complete with a video demonstrating how you should perform the move and for how long, as well as how many repetitions you should perform. Each break lasts about 5 minutes.
I particularly like the suggested moves bit, simply because when I do get up, I often wonder what stretches I should do in order to maximize my break (and work more than my feet scurrying up to the cafeteria to get more coffee.)
It is slightly depressing to me that I actually need this app, but I do. I need someone or something to remind me to get up periodically during the day and just move.