I suppose it was inevitable, given our national obsession both with exercising and multitasking. The days of great-grandma and grandpa, when the ordinary chores of farm work and household care offered enough muscle-bending to prevent obesity are forever gone. And so we have had to invent exercise equivalents.
The New York Times of September 18 illustrates the latest gift to exercise lovers. For those bored with the gym or unable to rise early enough to take advantage of its offerings, the treadmill has come to you!
An endocrinologist from the Mayo Clinic has constructed the first treadmill desk by uniting a hospital bedtray with a treadmill. Add your laptop, and the workwalker is all set to burn 100 to 130 calories an hour as he walks a leisurely 1.4 miles an hour at his work station.
A number of major companies have invested in these Walkstations at the cost of $4,000 each. They are, of course, more professionally crafted than the original Rube Goldberg invention. While seemingly more tailored to the at-home worker, office people insist that walking through the workday not only burns calories, but also improves concentration for the distracted.
These treadmill desks are usually in open areas where employees can just jump on for part of the day, although some firms have used them to replace conference tables. Business colleagues arrive for a meeting with walking shoes in hand. Devotees also recommend them for conference calls.
A new protocol has also been invented. One regular workwalker reverses position when a fellow worker arrives with a question. By pivoting, he can then walk backwards, face the newcomer and exercise a different set of leg muscles.
For those who lack the ability to walk and chew gum at the same time, this workplace innovation is not for you. For those who are committed to losing weight, it is not for you either. Workwalking seemingly prevents weight gain, but its gentle pace does not add up to real weight loss. You still need your gym membership for serious treadmilling.
But, says one workwalker, something is better than nothing. And the concept does tickle the imagination as we reconfigure our current workplaces to accommodate this invention. |