- Treadmill Desk
A Treadmill Desk is simply a desk built around a normal
treadmill . The idea is to slowly walk at the treadmill while working at the desk.Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic is credited with coming up with the idea of the Treadmill Desk. [http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2005-rst/2836.html]
Quote|More than half of the population has weight problems andobesity is costing the United States economy 100 billion dollars ayear. Here is a potential solution – walking whilst at work – thatcan literally help thousands of people become more active, burncalories throughout their day and potentially become far healthier.Also, this is the kind of solution that may enable us to be morefocused rather than so tired.|Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic [http://www.details-worktools.com/media/scms/Walkstation_Brochure_1007.pdf]
Dr. Levine estimates that a person can burn an extra 100 to 130 calories per hour while working and walking at a Treadmill Desk. If a person walked/worked at a Treadmill Desk for eight hours a day in an office environment, the person could lose up to convert|57|lb|abbr=on a year according to Dr. Levine's research. Over a year, a person doing this can burn 100 calories/hour x 8 hours/day x 5 days/week x 50 office weeks/year = 200,000 calories/year. This is equivalent to 200,000 divided by 3,500 calories/lbs = convert|57|lb|abbr=on weight loss per year.
While commercial treadmill desks have been available for $3,500 to $4,500 since around December 2007 [ [http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2007/10/25/workplace-exercise-levine-lead-innovation-cx_tw_1025walkmaster.html] ] [ [http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0816/p15s01-wmgn.html Where workers can walk – without leaving their workstations, Christian Science Monitor article by Amy Farnsworth, 2008-08-18] ] , it's possible to build your own Treadmill Desk for under $50. [ [http://www.treadmill-workstation.com/] ]
Other Facts and Considerations
*The recommended treadmill speed that allows you to safely walk and work at your desk is 0.7 to convert|1.0|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on [ [http://www.treadmill-desk.com/2007/06/have-treadmill-desk-questions-ask-jay.html] ]
*There are other Treadmill Desks that are designed to work with existing treadmills such as the TrekDesk (http://www.trekdesk.com).You can see how to make one of these Treadmill Workstation Desks as a DIY, or do it yourself project here (http://treadmill-workstation.com).
References
External links
* [http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TurningPoints/story?id=3771802&page=1/ Good Morning America: Walking While You Work]
* [http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-06-07-office-fit_x.htm/ USA Today: Researcher sees future where people walk at work]
* [http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2005-rst/2836.html/ Mayo Clinic: Press Release]
* [http://www.treadmill-desk.com/ Treadmill Desk: A nonprofit website that assists in the design and construction of "Do-It-Yourself" Treadmill Desks.]
* [http://gelfmagazine.com/archives/slow_and_steady.php/ Gelf Magazine: Could a treadmill/desk mashup be the solution to America's obesity problem?]
* [http://www.details-worktools.com/media/scms/Walkstation_Brochure_1007.pdf/ Steelcase's Walkstation Brochure]
* [http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2007/10/25/workplace-exercise-levine-lead-innovation-cx_tw_1025walkmaster.html/ Forbes: Take Up Thy Desk And Walk]
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