It would seem that this latest contraption would be every workaholic’s dream come true! Tired of working long hours? Find that you have no time to exercise? All those hours at your desk are eating into your fitness levels? A solution may finally be on hand.
Mayo Clinic has introduced a new ‘vertical workstation’ that would enable really busy workaholics to ensure that they get the required exercise that they need. Researchers have fitted a desk over a standard treadmill and estimate that if obese people use this machine all day, they would stand to lose a massive 66 pounds a year!
The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, observed 15 obese people who used the treadmill as their workstation. They found that on an average, they burned around 100 calories an hour just by walking slowly on the treadmill. James Levine and Jennifer Miller wrote in the journal that:
If obese individuals were to replace time spent sitting at the computer with walking computer time by 2 to 3 hours a day, and if other components of energy balance were constant, a weight loss of 20 to 30 kg a year could occur.
The new-fangled desk is not cheap and costs around US$1,600. But the researchers believe that the long-term benefits of exercising will more than cover up the high cost. Increasing work hours, extreme work pressure and lack of time to exercise are resulting in an adult population that is losing the battle against fitness and succumbing to the stress of 21st century existence. Perhaps, this new treadmill might be the only way to get people to work.
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