Walkstation: Exercise While You Work

It’s safe to assume that a large percentage of the planet’s population spend their days hunched over a computer, working away. This situation does not add up to a very healthy lifestyle. Sedentary working usually has to be supplemented with some sort of exercise outside of the office to offset the results of not moving your body much.

One man has come up with an unusual solution which combines exercise and work at the same time. In 2005, Dr. James Levine, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic, devised a homemade desk built on top of a treadmill. Called the Walkstation, it allows workers to burn calories, and work usually unused muscles while they do desk work.

The treadmill runs at a low speed, as to not burn out users and is quiet enough to not disturb co-workers. Over 335 Walkstations, have been sold since last November to companies including Humana, Mutual of Omaha, GlaxoSmithKline and Best Buy. Users of the machine report better health and no decrease in work abilities since doing work-walking. Increased concentration is also a reported side effect — excess energy that may have led to distraction is channeled into the exercise.

[New York Times via Kottke] (registration required)