Walk and Work, Great Way to Lose Weight at Work

Working an 9-5 job can contribute to an individual’s weight problem and most office employees are aware of it. Due to time limitations, most office employees wish that they can spend the same time and effort on exercise to at least if not lose the pounds, keep themselves fit, as they have on office work.

This need is quite real that the researchers have looked into addressing it. U.S. Professor James Levine and Jennifer Miller of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester have designed a multi-purpose plexi-glass desk that an office employee will be able to set over a regular treadmill and act as a vertical workstation. The employee will be able to work on the computer while simultaneously using the treadmill, doing walk-exercises. They can set the speed of the exercise equipment at a comfortable pace so that they can still do their work. It’s a real nifty idea and seemingly the answer to every office employee with a weight problem.

The scientists did a study to determine just how effective this type of office desk would be for the potential user. They observed fifteen obese volunteers, fourteen of which are women and one is a man. All held a desk job and had poor exercise habits.

The calories were gathered, measured, and compared during the observation. The volunteers were asked to use the office desk and treadmill for thirty five minutes. The number of calories burned was then compared to what would normally have been burned had these individuals stayed seated behind a regular office desk for the same amount of time.

According to the study the amount of calories burned while using the glass desk set over the treadmill was the same amount that would have been burned had the individual walked 1.6 kilometers in an hour. This figure is more than twice the amount of calories they would have burned had they worked behind their regular office desks.

This study can then prove that the use of the vertical works station for a certain period during work hours could help an office employee with a weight problem or who is obese to lose more or less 50 lbs. in just a span of twelve months. It’s good to note that the volunteers for the study and used the glass desk set over the treadmill for about an hour and a half in a day did not suffer any injury or any untoward incident that would cause them to cease doing the exercise, in fact, most, if not all, expressed their wish to continue with the walk and work concept. The results of this study have been published online and will also be published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The vertical work-station can be seen as a means of introducing physical activity into the office and scientific director of the Canadian Obesity Network, Dr. Arya Sharma, seemed to approve of it. However, Dr. Sharma advised individuals not to misinterpret the study results.

It should be highlighted that if there’s an increase in exercise since one would tend to eat more and this will not make the walk and work concept effective if the proper diet is instilled. An office employee with weight problems could not expect to lose the same amount of weight by just maintaining the same intensity of exercise. Thus, the use of the vertical workstation in the office is not the ultimate weight-loss solution if it’s not coupled with a proper diet.

Having the vertical workstation as part of the office furniture would help not only the office employees with weight problems or who are obese but also those who aren’t. These employees can still avail of regular exercise to keep fit, find enjoyment in the act, and quite possibly reduce stress in the process.

The vertical workstation is priced at US$1,600 and will be marketed by the office furniture maker, Steelcase Inc.

Posted on: Workspace

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Walk and Work, Great Way to Lose Weight at Work

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