Human beings are designed to move. Offices make us sedentary. Sitting all day can make us obese, unfocused, and unenergized.
“If sitting is to blame, standing is going to be the solution,” says Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic. He stands behind this assertion with his design for a walking treadmill desk.
The science behind the desk is “non-exercise activity thermogenesis” (NEAT). NEAT is the process by which we burn calories during normal, non-exercise, daily activities. Dr. Levine says that walking at one mile per hour burns about 100 calories an hour. At this rate, if you walked an entire eight-hour day for a year you’d lose about 50 pounds.
Weight loss isn’t the only benefit of walking at work. In a Good Morning America interview, Dr. Levine said that moving all day makes you sharper, invigorated, and energized.
Your opportunity to move to a treadmill desk will obviously depend on your office situation. Here are some options for buying or building a treadmill desk:
- Steelcase Walkstation (about $4,000), Dr. Levine worked with Steelcase on this design
- TreadDesk, Inc. ($695.00 to $3,000.00, depending on options)
- The Walk N Work ($499.85)
- A Do-It-Yourself Treadmill Desk ($49.95)
Today’s Sources & Resources
- Mayo Clinic Creates “Office of the Future”
- Steelcase Unveils The Walkstation To Bring Healthy Habits To The Workplace
- Good Morning America interview with Dr. Levine (YouTube)
- Dr. James Levine Speaks about Treadmill Desks (YouTube)
- Treadmill Desk blog with do-it-yourself advice
About the Author
Larry Swanson is a massage therapist in downtown Seattle, WA. His practices focuses on the unique needs of office workers and also includes injury treatment for sports and car-accident injuries as well as massage for wellness and athletic performance.
Disclaimer
I am not a personal trainer, nor a doctor, nor an occupational therapist, nor do I have any other credentials beyond my massage practitioner license.
This article is intended only to offer general information on the topics of office fitness and workplace health. Although I make every effort to review and present only reliable and safe information, some material may not be appropriate for every reader. Your age, health, fitness level, and other factors all affect your ability to safely use this or any health and fitness information.
If you have any doubts about your ability to safely implement any of the information here, consult your doctor.
In fact, I urge you to consult a doctor and/or obtain the services of professional experts before beginning any fitness program, ergonomic adaptations, or similar activities.