Fitness at work

I don't think you guys will be able to read this unless you subscribe to Boston.com, however, since it's a short article, I don't mind pasting the full text here.

Putting your body to work -- from your workstation

By Associated Press | June 8, 2005

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.

''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.

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, said Levine, a Mayo Clinic obesity researcher.

''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 -- ''non-exercise activity thermogenesis" -- the calories people burn during everyday activities.

His team developed an alternative to the traditional cubicle -- workstations that combine a computer, desk, and treadmill into one unit. His team put a carpeted track around the perimeter of their 5,000-square-foot space. They made walls out of magnetic marker boards so they can stand while developing project ideas.

Those who don't feel like standing can use a tall stool to work on their computers, he said, but the environment ''sends you this message of 'Walking is the norm. Being upright is the norm.' "

On the one hand, walking all day while you're supposed to be filing reports or whatever could seem distracting for someone that is already living a healthy, active lifestyle. But these days, like I've said many times before, America truly requires some drastic measures to be taken in terms of declining health. I applaud the creativity of James Levine and admire his concern for the physical well-being of his workers. I think every work environment (and even schools for that matter) should try their best to promote a healthier lifestyle. Because if they can succeed in doing that, then no one will ever be able to use the excuse, "But I'm just too busy to exercise!" fubar. You don't have time to exercise, but you still have enough time to go out and grab another 16 oz. Coffee Coolatta... ah, the guilty pleasures of the standard American work week.