First of all – big shout out and mad props to me- this is my third post in the past week! I am getting better with this! (pats self on the back) – This one I HAD to write immediately! Someone sent me this article recently, and I couldn’t believe it! I didnt know whether to laugh or cry. Is this really the office of the future? Below is an excerpt from an article that really left my mind boggling –
Futuristic office keeps workers fit on the job
Obesity researcher dreams up alternative to cubicles
ROCHESTER, Minn. – Sitting at their desks is about the last thing workers would do in Dr. James Levine’s office of the future.
Instead of being sedentary in front of their computers, they’d stand. But instead of standing still, they’d walk on a treadmill. And instead of meeting around a conference table, they’d talk business while walking laps on a track.
That’s exactly how Levine, a Mayo Clinic obesity researcher, and several of his colleagues have been working for the past five weeks or so.
‘Ultimate office makeover’
“I hate going to the gym, which may be partly why I’m so interested in this,” he said, keeping up a 1 mph pace on his treadmill while checking e-mail and fielding questions from a reporter.
That speed is slow enough to avoid breaking a sweat but fast enough to burn an extra 100 calories per hour, or 1,000 a day, given his average 10-hour workdays, Levine said. And it helps the 41-year-old endocrinologist keep his 5-foot-8½-inch frame at 158 pounds.
“We’re talking more than 50 pounds of weight loss a year, if I were to keep my diet the same,” he said.
Levine is a leading researcher of NEAT — short for “non-exercise activity thermogenesis” — the calories people burn during everyday activities such as standing, walking or even fidgeting.
(check the rest of the article here – http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8132086/)
So treadmills in the office now, who would have thought we ever needed that to happen? Now I am a big believer in NEAT, or NEPA (non-exercise physical activity) but this is ridiculous! For some NEPA just go for a 30 min walk on a nice day, take your dog to the park, park a little further away, just do something that keeps you moving a little bit extra.
But all in all, whatever floats your boat, at the very least it is a step in the right direction – its just sad that this is the best idea out there so far! But if thats what it takes to get some activity then go ahead, attatch a treadmill to your desk and maybe we can also use that energy to power the rest of the building!
Come to think of it, the whole treadmill idea has been around for a long time. Now what does the office worker of the future remind me of??? Hmmmmm . . .
Stay strong,
Joey
