In front of a computer all day? Exercise while you work.
By Kristen Gerencher
MarketWatch
Hate going to the gym? Resent the time it takes to exercise after a hard day at the office?
So does Dr. James Levine, a Mayo Clinic obesity researcher in Rochester, Minn., who rattled off two sobering statistics: 90 percent of Americans don't work out regularly and at least half of workers sit in front of a computer most of the day.
Motivated by research that shows a substantial cumulative effect of long-term low-impact movement on weight control, Levine is looking to bring optional exercise not just into the workplace but also into your personal work space.
A year ago, he rigged his desk so he could stand and walk slowly on a treadmill as he reads e-mail, takes calls and works on his computer.
Ten other employees and the Mayo Foundation's president now use an enhanced version of the adjustable workstation, though it's just one aspect of Levine's focus on increasing routine physical activities around the office. He also created a track around the perimeter so meetings can be held on foot instead of seated at a table, a track that can be made with nothing more than carpet tape.
``The idea isn't to force people to walk and work,'' Levine said, treadmill motor humming in the background. ``The idea is to give people choice because they've never had it before.''
The urge to help workers overcome sedentary lifestyles is based on a scientific concept known as NEAT, non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or the energy spent on physical activities of daily living. The NEAT theory says there is more metabolic benefit from frequent fidgeting and small movements than from sitting still for days with an occasional hard-core workout.
In other words, no sweat but big possible health gains. By walking 1 mph on a treadmill, a worker could burn 100 extra calories an hour, Levine said.
``We're talking potential weight loss of 30, 40 pounds a year,'' he said.
Evidence of NEAT's impact is growing. Lean people are in some kind of mundane motion an average of 150 more minutes a day than their obese counterparts, who burn 350 fewer calories, according to a comprehensive study Levine led that was published in January in the journal Science.
The problem for many people is a time crunch, he said. ``How on earth is the modern American going to fit 2 1/2 hours of extra walking time in?''
Another way integrated treadmill desks could help workers is by alleviating their back pain. ``Walking is one of the great treatments for back pain.''
Treadmill workstations cost $1,100, considerably less than a standard cubicle price of $2,000, Levine said. He's working with companies to develop a product that could be mass produced.
The reasons to overhaul the conventional computer work setup are many.
Health costs are ballooning faster than employers and workers can manage, and yet work environments remain largely unchanged. Many employers' ergonomic and exercise programs are limited or have been cut back in recent years, potentially exacerbating health problems that can sap productivity or boost absenteeism.
Meanwhile, the nation's girth has been expanding. Two out of three Americans are overweight or obese, and fatness bodes poorly for individuals' risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Still, some people are heeding common-sense advice about staying active. Treadmills remain the No. 1 exercise-equipment choice.
About 47.5 million Americans use treadmills, either at home, the office or the gym, said Mike May, spokesman for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, a trade group in Washington. Manufacturers reaped $1.1 billion in treadmill sales in 2004, up from $925 million in 2000.
Some companies are pursuing concepts similar to Levine's.
Office furniture manufacturing giant Steelcase, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., introduced Airtouch to its Duo workstation design last year at a trade show in Chicago. Airtouch lets work surfaces adjust to different heights.
A gentle press of the lift handle underneath makes the desk rise or lower as quickly as the worker does, said James Ludwig, director of design for Steelcase.
The designers thought if they made the table intuitive, people would be up and down all day, and that scenario played out in tests, he said.
Airtouch isn't available yet but is expected to cost about $650 when it comes to market, he said.
Vertically moving desks are one thing, but not everyone is warming up to the idea of treadmills at work. Icon Health & Fitness, the world's largest treadmill manufacturer based in Logan, Utah, last year introduced treadmills with flat-screen televisions for home use, said Colleen Logan, marketing vice president.
But Icon isn't making treadmill workstations, though its general agenda is along the same lines of enabling people to combine daily activities, Logan said. ``We're working on the overall idea . . . of helping people incorporate exercise by being able to do another activity that they're already doing.''
Linear Mode
