Walk-and-work stations to cut down on bulging waistlines

Two U.S scientists have conceived a novel idea of losing weight while working. The new method involves a treadmill with a computer attached to it so as to ensure that people burn off extra calories while working.

According to the study conducted on a group of 15 by Professors James Levine and Jennifer Miller of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, the volunteers burned off 191 calories in an hour while walking or standing on the treadmill as opposed to losing 72 calories while sitting on their desks. The two scientists feel that the new method can help people lose weight at a fast rate.

The study was conducted on 14 women and 1 man in conventional office settings. The energy expended by the 15 volunteers on the walk-and-work station was compared with the energy exhausted by their colleagues seated at regular desks. The study was conducted for 35 minutes and proved that if the workstations are used daily for two hours each, obese people can lose up to 20 to 30 kilograms in a year. The ‘Vertical Workstation’ allows a person to walk at the speed of his choice. The device is H-shaped and can house not just a computer but also has space for personal things like books, pens, files, etc.

Built on a steel frame with four locking rubber wheels, it can be easily steered around the office. Mr. Levine says that at U.S $ 1,600, not including the price of the treadmill, the workstation is a bargain. It has been estimated that by 2010, more than half of the workers in developed countries will be working on computers. Losing weight while working using the new walk-and-work station may save them the time and the effort of going to gyms after office hours.

The reason for bulging waistlines over the past thirty years is a sedentary lifestyle. People have got used to desk-bound jobs and are car-dependent which results in less walking. Studies in the past have shown that there is a direct link between the amount of miles you walk and the amount of calories you burn. The formula is simple. Your weight x the distance you walk = energy used while walking. Distance is of more relevance than time. The larger distance you cover, even though in a shorter amount of time, the more energy you expend. A simple thumb rule involves 100 calories per mile for a 160 pound person.

Walking is a simpler and less torturous method of losing weight than dieting. And now that it may be incorporated in office as well, one may get to see a decline in obesity in developed countries.