Do you think treadmill desks will catch on?

ninjabox

I think treadmill desks are a great idea. You might look stupid but apparently our 9-to-5 jobs where we sit all day increases the risk of basically every health problem (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, early death). So I think since our bodies are meant to be lightly active throughout the day these inventions are a great idea, I hope they catch on.

If you've never heard of treadmill desks here's a link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21076461

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

I bloody hope not! Most people have a severaly ****ed up work/life balance as it is without this crap catching on.

Ruu

Too expensive. Great if your company can afford them.

TheBody

*Insert shut up and take my money meme*

freshpopcorn

Some people actually like sitting down at work tough.

mutley18

Having a Tom Hank while walking would be strange, very strange indeed.

I wouldn't mind one at home, do some exercise while you surf the net or watch a movie

Was in Goethe's house recently, he had a high desk for writing on while standing
Maybe that will catch on

Clandestine

This bloke had the idea years ago

ScumLord

No, companies would be getting sued left right and centre. People that didn't want to use to them would scream foul play, insurance would go up because it's more dangerous and someone would then fall off one, suing the company for making them use the treadmills and then the company would ditch the treadmills at a huge loss.

coconut5

Do they stand at their desks all day? It must be bad for your eyesight to be moving and trying to stare at a computer screen at the same time.

Gannicus

One of the girls in work has a Mini Elliptical under her desk. She's uses casually during the day each day. She's a right little cracker aswell and as a result has savage legs.

TeddyTedson

I can't imagine them catching on. He says in the video it doesn't effect his work, but I know I couldn't read small text on a screen very well with even the small movements he's making.
It would slow productivity so I can't see any companies being too quick on the up take.

Gummy Panda

Think of the smelly. Sarah in finance who is a bit rotund is on her treadmill desk all day. That's s sweaty box

Roger_007

How long would your shoes last?

Gannicus

Roger_007 wrote: »

How long would your shoes last?

I suppose you'd have to do it in your runners or your stocking feet.

Talib Fiasco

I'll be teaching so I'll get enough exercise running around the class all day....enjoy the flab everybody!

ancapailldorcha

Constantly moving all day on a treadmill is just going to degrade your body if there's no strength training to balance the loss of mass.

MadsL

Gummy Panda wrote: »

Think of the smelly. Sarah in finance who is a bit rotund is on her treadmill desk all day. That's s sweaty box

That's mean. Sarah has thyroid issues. Jacintha on the other hand...

Ted_YNWA

Surely if people want to exercise at work, walk over to Mary in accounts instead of sending an email. This is free & will not cost companies any money.

Would having these treadmills not cause a BO issue at work?

Gannicus

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Constantly moving all day on a treadmill is just going to degrade your body if there's no strength training to balance the loss of mass.

I can't imagine you losing that much mass walking quite slowly everyday for maybe 30mins to an hour

ancapailldorcha

Big Steve wrote: »

I can't imagine you losing that much mass walking quite slowly everyday for maybe 30mins to an hour

If it's only 30 minutes every day then it's a complete waste of money. Why can't people just take a walk at the end of the day, usually in better surroundings as well?

Gannicus

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

If it's only 30 minutes every day then it's a complete waste of money. Why can't people just take a walk at the end of the day, usually in better surroundings as well?

I know. But I think its aimed at people with very limited schedules and free time due to work, family, kids etc.

Muise...

with a bit of rigging, computers could be powered by the users' treadmills. Just like old sewing machines. Win-win.

As a 'work from home' solution it could be feasible but not in a workplace. Imagine having to meet clients with sweaty arm pits and a stench of sweat after running on the treadmill?

UCDVet

There are some studies that suggest sitting at a desk all day is really bad for your health. Like 'on par with smoking' bad for your health.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2013/02/09/why-sitting-increases-your-risk-of-dying-sooner/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sitting/AN02082
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/experts-sitting-all-day-worse-than-smoking/11032

researchers found that the longer you spend sitting down every day, the higher the risk of dying prematurely, even if you engage in regular daily exercise

The latest research from an obesity researcher at the Mayo Clinic has found that sedentary work days create massive health risks even worse than smoking and that daily exercise cannot negate the damage caused by excessive sitting.

I don't think it will ever become mandatory without government involvement though. It's expensive and 'regular folk' are still skeptical about how dangerous sitting is. I do think you'll see it at 'trendy' places - in fact, there are a number of companies that offer them, to employees that want them.

If we had the same media push against sitting that we have against smoking, some politician would pick it up and run with it, IMHO.

Personally, after reading some studies - I'd love to be able to split my time between sitting, standing, and walking.

Pug160

Nah, it sounds rubbish. It could lead to other problems. If money was no object, a better idea would be letting employees take an extra 30 minutes or so to exercise in the company gym then buying a a Swiss ball type seat for them to sit on while they work. But time is money and I can't see that happening either.

Birroc

bluewolf wrote: »

Was in Goethe's house recently, he had a high desk for writing on while standing
Maybe that will catch on

I worked in an office in Stockholm once that had desks that could be raised up and down with the touch of a button. It could be raised so high that you could stand up while working. It was a bit weird watching people standing and sitting while doing tapping away at laptops.

BunShopVoyeur.

Fat people would cry about their human rights...

Muise...

Hemmingway used to write standing up at a desk. And probably drunk too.

Actually, he wasn't very good. Never mind.

BunShopVoyeur.

Muise... wrote: »

Actually, he wasn't very good. Never mind.

Can't tell if being sarcastic...

Muise...

OrphansRFunny wrote: »

Can't tell if being sarcastic...

I was in earnest, I assure you.

Andrewf20

I thinks its a ridiculous idea. A walk at lunch or a gym session / 5k run after work sound like easier alternatives. The noise of the office as well with these things never mind all the other stuff mentioned.

The idea will probably fall flat on its face, perhaps like half of its users.

UCDVet

Andrewf20 wrote: »

I thinks its a ridiculous idea. A walk at lunch or a gym session / 5k run after work sound like easier alternatives. The noise of the office as well with these things never mind all the other stuff mentioned.

The idea will probably fall flat on its face, perhaps like half of its users.

My intuition agreed with you, but medical research disagrees with us.

A walk at lunch, going to the gym after work, hitting up a 5k on the weekend does NOT offset the negative health effects from sitting.

CastingCouch

They already do this?

Gym instuctors? :P

ancapailldorcha

Big Steve wrote: »

I know. But I think its aimed at people with very limited schedules and free time due to work, family, kids etc.

I'm not a parent but I'm sure they could find a half hour a day or every other day for a walk.

coconut5

Well, sitting at a screen with a glare for 40 hours a week in an office with poor ventilation is obviously not good for you. This is not brand new information. Treadmill chairs are not a solution though.

Larianne

UCDVet wrote: »

My intuition agreed with you, but medical research disagrees with us.

A walk at lunch, going to the gym after work, hitting up a 5k on the weekend does NOT offset the negative health effects from sitting.

What the research is emerging with at the moment is that sedentary behaviour is seperate from physical activity and has different physiological effects on the body. So even if you get your recommended weekly amount of exercise (30mins of moderate exercise 5 times a week), if you spend 4hours+* sitting every day you are still at a higher risk of developing heart problems, some cancers and diabetes.

So standing at your desk is better than sitting. Sit to stand desks are quite popular in big companies like Google or Ericsson. So standing is better than sitting.

Best thing to do is to take short breaks. Stand up and get around.
Problem is people who drive for a living - taxi drivers/bus drivers etc.

*research is unsure if less than 4 hours is just as harmful.

For anyones interest, here's a recent report by the British Heart Foundation on Sedentary Behaviour: http://www.bhf.org.uk/thinkfit/default.aspx?page=1304

Pug160

Larianne wrote: »

What the research is emerging with at the moment is that sedentary behaviour is seperate from physical activity and has different physiological effects on the body. So even if you get your recommended weekly amount of exercise (30mins of moderate exercise 5 times a week), if you spend 4hours+* sitting every day you are still at a higher risk of developing heart problems, some cancers and diabetes.

So standing at your desk is better than sitting. Sit to stand desks are quite popular in big companies like Google or Ericsson. So standing is better than sitting.

Best thing to do is to take short breaks. Stand up and get around.
Problem is people who drive for a living - taxi drivers/bus drivers etc.

*research is unsure if less than 4 hours is just as harmful.

For anyones interest, here's a recent report by the British Heart Foundation on Sedentary Behaviour: http://www.bhf.org.uk/thinkfit/default.aspx?page=1304

That makes sense and I can see where they're coming from. We haven't evolved to sit down a lot. But an office worker who exercises a lot is still going to be a lot healthier than another office worker who is also a couch potato at home. Maybe there is still a risk, but I'd rather be the active office worker rather than the couch potato, no matter what anyone says.

Larianne

But what the research is saying you can be an active couch potato! Sitting for a number of hours cancels out the half hour of exercise you do.

The Backwards Man

My job involves spending half my time dancing around my sitting room in my underpants.:)

BunShopVoyeur.

The Backwards Man wrote: »

My job involves spending half my time dancing around my sitting room in my underpants.:)

You're grand, plenty of exercise.

Pug160

Larianne wrote: »

But what the research is saying you can be an active couch potato! Sitting for a number of hours cancels out the half hour of exercise you do.

It will take more than one piece of research to convince me that do nothing at all can potentially be no worse than at least doing something. It also seems like an awfully good excuse to not exercise at all, which should be frowned upon.

High intensity exercise for a short period of time has been proven to be very beneficial. I'm taking this with a large pinch of salt. I haven't read the report but I'm assuming it's saying there are risks even if you do exercise to a certain extent. And also sitting for long periods cancels (short periods of exercise) it out? It's just another ''meh'' article - one of many in the news we get weekly. I'll do my weight training and cardio thank you very much.

If a couch potato is looking for an excuse to do nothing then so be it. I'll not be joining them.

coconut5

But overexercising is also 'dangerous', so you can't win.

Larianne

Pug160 wrote: »

It will take more than one piece of research to convince me that do nothing at all can potentially be no worse than at least doing something. It also seems like an awfully good excuse to not exercise at all, which should be frowned upon.

High intensity exercise for a short period of time has been proven to be very beneficial. I'm taking this with a large pinch of salt. I haven't read the report but I'm assuming it's saying there are risks even if you do exercise to a certain extent. And also sitting for long periods cancels (short periods of exercise) it out? It's just another ''meh'' article - one of many in the news we get weekly. I'll do my weight training and cardio thank you very much.

If a couch potato is looking for an excuse to do nothing then so be it. I'll not be joining them.

No, the point is that although you exercise the recommended amount, if you sit for prolonged periods of time you are still at risk. (Sitting for long periods has a different effect on your body physiologically than doing little physical activity). What they are saying is you should continue to exercise, but to reduce your time spent sitting. So take breaks, walk around, stand for certain times, walk instead of taking transport.

The research is only emerging as the majority of research has previously only looked at children's sedentary behaviour. I did my final year project related to the subject so I read a lot of the research out there on it.

Pug160

Larianne wrote: »

No, the point is that although you exercise the recommended amount, if you sit for prolonged periods of time you are still at risk. (Sitting for long periods has a different effect on your body physiologically than doing little physical activity). What they are saying is you should continue to exercise, but to reduce your time spent sitting. So take breaks, walk around, stand for certain times, walk instead of taking transport.

The research is only emerging as the majority of research has previously only looked at children's sedentary behaviour. I did my final year project related to the subject so I read a lot of the research out there on it.

That sounds reasonable enough. But the message that needs to be sent out is that everybody should at least do something. If someone is doing 30 minutes of exercise a day they may still be at risk, but to say it's equal to someone who does nothing seems a bit dangerous. I can just imagine someone saying ''why bother if it makes no difference anyway''.

Sitting for long periods is not good for us - that I do agree with. Anybody with half a brain knows we haven't evolved to sit like that. But I am still surprised that they're saying a limited amount of exercise can be cancelled out. How intense was the exercise? How did they come to their conclusions anyway? The reason I ask that is because it's been shown that really intense training for a short period can be more beneficial than spending 90 minutes at a gym doing moderate exercise. Don't get me wrong, I still agree with what they're saying to an extent, but a little of something should always be better than nothing. Some people need that advice badly.

jester77

Nice idea in theory but I wouldn't be able to concentrate with it.

A lot of people in my office are using a standing desk, not for me though. I like sitting at my desk.

Freddy Smelly

it wouldnt work where i work... people calling in for tech support would hear alot of heavy breathing down the phone and think they were calling a sex line

bonzodog2

What next - seqway desks with wifi laptops built-in? Where will it all end I ask you ?