In 2007, the Endocrine Research Unit in Rochester, Minnesota came out with a study showing the effects of treadmill desks on things like obesity as well as overall work performance. The result? An apparent boycott of the chair. Goodbye to carpal tunnel and hello to more energy and better posture.
For most, the words “treadmill” and “desk” are not usually seen together. This object has been invented to reverse the obesity rates that have become an epidemic in this country. The study by the Endocrine Research Unit showed that a sedentary career (one that involves sitting at a desk for extended periods of time)decreases the likelihood of exercising at all by making you more tired at the end of the day. The desire to combine exercise and productivity spawned the treadmill desk. Contrary to the conclusion most people jumped to right away, a person is not running on the treadmill while typing. The treadmill only goes up to 1.2 miles per hour. It is a gentle walk, nothing strenuous, but it is burning more calories than he or she would be sitting down.
In an interview, a New York attorney who wishes to remain anonymous for the purpose of this article, states that even just standing while he works has changed the way he functions on a daily basis.
“I find that I feel more alert and energetic throughout the day. If I sit for a long time, I can begin to feel tired. When I’m standing, I seldom feel tired. Even if I stand for hours, I don’t feel trapped at a desk,” he said. “Moving around during the day makes me feel refreshed, and I think it helps me think better.”
This attorney does not use a treadmill desk, but he is a firm believer in standing while working. Along with the energy boost, he has noticed some physical changes in his body as a result of standing more.
“I think my posture is better when I’m standing, because it’s easier to stand up straight than to sit up straight, even if you have a comfortable, supportive chair.”
Like many critics of treadmill desks, the attorney worries that while using one it would be hard to focus on writing and a computer screen. The 2007 study showed that it took only two to three minutes for people using the treadmill desks to adjust to reading while walking and showed no complaints after that. Seeing as the treadmill only goes from 0.8 to 1.2 miles per hour, there really should not be too much of an issue.
Personally, I think it would be an excellent idea for Conn to perhaps invest in something like these desks. Though college students have plenty of opportunities to be active in their daily lives, we underestimate how much time we spend sitting in front of a screen, either in our dorm room or in class. We are constantly sitting, and are encouraged to do so, as most of our homework is online or at least digitized. Let’s do the math, shall we? The average student is taking four classes. Say those four classes are not movement classes (dance classes, etc.), and they all meet twice per week for seventy-five minutes. Let us also assume that each class assigns roughly ninety minutes of homework per class. That is twenty-two hours per week we spend sitting in class and doing homework. If we take into account eight hours of sleep per night (perhaps a little optimistic…) that is seventy-eight hours per week spent sitting still. That cannot be healthy. Treadmill desks may not move fast, but using them burns 100-150 calories per hour. That does not sound like many calories, but studying on a treadmill desk would burn a thousand calories in a week just from having them in classes. Burning 1,000 calories per week during class, along with feeling more energized; what more could a college student ask for? •
