If You’re Going to Sit, Sit With Fitness In Mind

CoreChair Active Sitting Office Chair *

What It Is: An “active sitting” ergonomic office chair that pivots, tilts, swivels and rotates to encourage natural hip and spine movement while you’re seated. CoreChair was designed to reduce back pain (I’ll take whatever helps), get your core muscles firing and even stimulate metabolism. The more you swivel about, the more calories you burn.

Remember years ago when everyone was rolling out stability balls to use as office chairs in the name of wellness? The CoreChair picks up on those good intentions, but it’s infinitely better.

What You Might Not Know: There’s a series of CoreFit exercises you can do on the CoreChair, similar to how you’d use a stability ball at the gym. Researchers in the department of kinesiology at University of Waterloo found that doing these exercises on the CoreChair was just as good as doing them on a stability ball.

Feelin’ The Love: With the bad rap prolonged sitting has been getting in research and the media (studies show it’s terrible for your health even if you also work out), I was curious to learn more about this active-sitting chair, created by a Canadian kinesiologist.

I should mention that I’ve been sitting in Herman Miller’s Aeron Chair for more than a decade. I pride myself (maybe a bit too much) on owning a designer chair—it’s on display in the Museum of Modern Art, for goodness sake. 

While I was sure I’d enjoy the CoreChair for its fitness-minded features, I wasn’t anticipating that I’d like sitting in it more than Aeron! But I do.

One reason is the sculpted seat with its comfy contours where your butt and backs of thighs fit. The best way I can describe sitting and moving in the CoreChair is that it feels intuitive to the body, especially because the seat fluidly tilts back and forth, and side to side. You can set it so it doesn’t, or so it’s less wobbly, but I liked the constant movement on “full-throttle.” I’ve never been able to sit still anyway.

I was surprised at first that the CoreChair doesn’t have armrests, and even more surprised to discover that I definitely don’t need them. Armrests tempt crooked posture as I lean over on one arm. That doesn’t do my back and neck any favors.

It occurred to me that Aeron’s armrests prevent me from getting as close to my keyboard as I’d like. CoreChair’s minimalist design creates more space around my work area.

Turns out I don’t need an upper-back support either. I’m sure my sitting posture has been better—more upright, shoulders retracted—without it. The CoreChair’s pelvic stabilizer (that’s what CoreChair calls the low-back rest) takes care of your back by stabilizing your pelvis so you don’t resort to slumping or sliding forward in your seat. The less I slump, the more “switched on” my core feels.

The CoreChair also won me over with its flat, treaded base. You’re meant to perch your feet on it, if you want to, for added comfort and more movement options. A lot of other office chairs have a slightly rounded base, so using that type as a footrest feels awkward at best.

If I Could Change One Thing: At $995 CND ($795 USD), the CoreChair might cost more than you’d expect. After sitting in it for three weeks, I feel that investment is fair. However, with such a price-point, I’d prefer that the CoreChair’s logo wasn’t so prominent.

While it’s a fine logo, having it large and visible on the back of the chair reminds me of something you’d see in an office cubicle or commercial environment, not a cool startup or cozy home office. The CoreChair is worthy of all the above. UPDATE: In addition to the style I have, you can now also get the CoreChair Sport, which comes in a different upholstered surface and appears to have no logo on it. 

Should You Buy It? CoreChair meshes with an active/wellness lifestyle, so if you’re in the market for an office chair that doesn’t just, well, sit there and do nothing for you, the CoreChair is worth a test-drive!

You can try active sitting in the CoreChair for up to 60 days with a full refund. Comes in two heights: 5’6″ and under (regular) and 5’6″ and above (tall). See how it pivots and swivels at CoreChair.com. 

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