Workout While You Work

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.

His team developed an alternative to the traditional cubicle — workstations that combine a computer, desk and treadmill into one unit. It was a refinement of a desk Levine created for himself about six months ago.

Levine kept 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.

The makeover was relatively cheap. Levine says the 10 workstations cost about $1,000 each — about half the cost of a cubicle — and remodeling the space cost about $5.50 per square foot.

I had this idea a year or two ago, and I am always pumped when someone takes one of my ideas and turns it into a real product. I think better while standing and walking, so I figure hooking a computer up to a treadmill would make me more productive and creative without even taking the health effects into account. Sign me up.

Via Asbury Park Press