This Wellness App Helps Prevent "Office Chair Butt"

Once you sit down at your desk for the day to answer emails, pop into meetings, and focus on projects, there’s a chance you won’t stand up again for at least an hour — and sometimes several more. This sedentary lifestyle is one cause of the dreaded “office chair butt,” the general flattening of the booty that’s going viral on TikTok.

Office chair butt is caused by a weakening of the glutes, the largest muscle group that’s important for walking, running, and keeping your back and pelvis stable. Of course, sitting for hours isn’t great in other ways, either. A sedentary lifestyle contributes to cardiovascular problems, poor circulation, inflammation, tight muscles, stiff joints, and can even put you in a bad mood.

This could be why Wakeout was named Apple’s “app of the year” in 2020, and continues to get five-star reviews years later. This wellness app helps you “break the sitting habit” by encouraging you to get up and move throughout the day. According to the app, frequent movement and stretch breaks are better for your health than squeezing in one exercise session a day.

Not only does the app offer creative stretches and mini exercises, it also helps boost your energy by getting you up and out of your chair. As someone who writes for hours at a desk every day, I knew I had to give it a try. Here’s my honest review of Wakeout.

Fast Facts

• Price: Free 7-day trial, $69.99/year
• Best for: Adding more movement to your day, boosting energy, taking stretch breaks
• My rating: 4/5
• What I like: Easy to use, variety of workouts, connects to Apple Watch
• What I don't like: Not budget-friendly

What To Know About Wakeout

Wakeout is a wellness app that tracks your sedentary habits not just at your desk, but when you’re watching TV, scrolling, having floor time, etc. The goal is to remember to get up and move more throughout the day, whether that means standing up for a stretch or doing a quick workout.

The app uses a timer to remind you to take breaks. Once the timer goes off, you’re supposed to tap on one of the mini workouts available within the app — like “Anti-Stress Movement & Breathing” or “Lower Back Tension Release” — and follow along to a series of timed movements, from squats to upper body twists.

Some of the videos are aimed at pain relief, others give you a gentle stretch or mobility training, and some boost your energy with a little exercise “snack” that gets your blood pumping. You can pick the one you’re in the mood for, and also choose how long you want the break to last, from 30 seconds to 10 minutes.

The app allows you to customize your physical wellness goals and records those stats. There’s a graph that shows when you were sitting and when you were active throughout the day, and you can keep an “Active Streak” alive by taking breaks daily — eventually making it a habit. If you want, you can let Wakeout send you personalized reminders that fit your schedule.

To stay motivated, you also earn Watts, which are basically the app’s activity metric. The more you move, the more Watts you receive. (After each workout, you’ll see a burst of confetti on your screen and how many Watts you got.) For the best movement tracking and sedentary data, connect your Apple Watch.

My Experience

Like many people, I sit at my desk without many intentional breaks. I then try to make up for it after work by going to the gym, walking, or doing yoga. After a sweaty workout or lengthy stroll, I sometimes feel like I reversed all the side effects that come with a day’s worth of sitting, but according to Wakeout, it’s much better for you to take frequent breaks.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been setting the Wakeout timer on the app so I remember to get up and move regularly, and it’s actually working. I customized a 25-minute timer for myself, and when it goes off, I look at the various workouts and stretches available and choose which one fits my mood.

Sometimes I’m into the energy-boosting workouts, but usually I’m all about a lower back stretch. This one has moves like the crescent moon stretch, side reaches, torso rotations, circle bows, and under-knee touches — all moves that zero in on the perfect spot.

The videos look kind of old-school — they mostly just show someone in a casual setting repeating the move — but it gets the job done. I’ve been opting for a one-minute stretch, which usually feature about five moves and that’s all it takes for me to feel loose and ready to get back to work.

I like that you can also skip a move if you aren’t into it or if you have an injury that may not allow you to do it comfortably. I’m also a fan of the fact that you can search through the app for moves based on certain needs, like back pain, neck stiffness, or arm stretching.

Some videos’ll wake you up in the morning, help you wind down before bed, or give you a boost of energy if you’re in a mid-afternoon slump. Some other themes include things like “Mobility Range Extender,” “Office Yoga,” and “Sitting Pilates.” There are plenty you can do right from your chair, if that’s more your speed (or if you work in an office setting and don’t want to draw attention to yourself).

Another cool feature is the the ability to customize your timers for what you plan to focus on. For me, I made one for Writing, another for Scrolling, and one for Reading. While I mostly use the app at work, I can see it being helpful if I’m trying to cut a bed rot short or get up and stretch on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

As I used the app, all of my workout data went to the Stats tab, where I could see how active I actually was throughout the day. And that’s part of what makes apps so great. Instead of trying to start a new habit all on my own, Wakeout kept me motivated with notifications, Watt points, and graphs that actually inspired me to get up and stretch.

The Takeaway

It’s so easy for me to get sucked into a busy day and forget to take breaks, and that’s one reason why Wakeout has been so helpful. Not only does it remind me to get up and move, but it also gives me something helpful to do while I’m up, like stretching or squatting. Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that my hips are less stiff, and I feel a little less groggy throughout the day. And of course, the added benefit of preventing office chair butt is exciting, too.