Try walking on the job

It seems the leisure years promised a few decades ago never really happened. It was predicted that our work weeks would get shorter and we would have more time to pursue interests outside of the office or workplace.

In fact, the opposite happened. More and more employees are working longer hours and technology has linked many to the office on a 24-hour basis. Work is only an e-mail away, even on

weekends, evenings and holidays and Blackberrys have become an extension of the office.

So, if 60 and 80 hour work weeks are grinding us down, how do we find the time to enjoy leisure time? After chowing down a late supper, the only time left would be to hit the sack. So much for taking up crafts, enjoying some sports and spending quality time with the family. The outcome of too few hours in the day for yourself is usually poor health.

Some of the truly motivated can drag themselves to a gym at ungodly hours of the morning while the rest of us contemplate the idea while snuggled beneath the blankets. The morning workout for the lazy is hitting the snooze button a few times.

But there is hope and it is a Treadmill Desk. Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic is credited with coming up with the idea.

More than half of the population has weight problems and obesity is costing the United States economy $100 billion a year (maybe less in Canada). Here is a potential solution -- walking whilst at work -- that can literally help thousands of people become more active, burn calories throughout their day and potentially become far healthier. Also, this is the kind of solution that may enable us to be more focused rather than so tired," Dr. Levine said in a news release.

He estimates that people can burn an extra 100 to 130 calories per hour while working at the Treadmill desk. That amounts to a weight loss of 57 pounds per year, provided they walked and worked eight hours a day.

Of course the treadmill isn't set at high rates of speed. The ideal speed, according to Levine, is about 0.7 to one mile per hour.

Of course, if you are the type of person who can't walk and chew gum at the same time, the Treadmill Desk wouldn't be suitable.

I suppose there would be an adjustment period. It would seem strange to walk slowly and work at the same and I imagine there would be an instinct to work slowly too.

If you have ever marched in a parade as part of a band, it's not as easy as it looks. Staying in sync with everyone while playing an instrument does take some practice. I suspect the same is true for working on a keyboard and walking. Talking on the phone and walking would be much easier.

At meetings, everyone could bring their treadmills and arrange them all in a circle. It would certainly help anyone from falling asleep.

It's much easier to slink back into a chair and doze and a lot harder to do on a treadmill since you would probably fall right off.

There would also be a problem with the competitive types too. Those would be the ones cranking up the speed to show everyone they can walk faster and still do their work.

Others not wanting to be outdone would challenge and soon the clicking of keyboard keys would be drowned out by the panting and heaving of the so-called faster workers.

There would also be a green advantage with all those treadmills running. Could they somehow be tapped as an alternate source of energy? The workplace would not only be healthier but environmentally friendly too.

Kidding aside, it does make sense. And it's not one of those fads but based purely on science.

We have all seen these new exercise gadgets that come along and promise the impossible. There are big contraptions that allow you to do more efficient crunches and achieve sculpted abs with minimum effort. (They don't tell you to cut out the beer and doughnuts).

Then there is a machine that allows you to glide without impacting the joints and others that isolate certain problem areas (that were created by genetics and a bad lifestyle).

And who can forget the rowing machine? After three minutes, a horrible sense of boredom fell in and instead of counting minutes, you were counting seconds until the end of the monotonous workout ended.

I am sure our employers aren't going to fork out the thousands of dollars it costs to replace our work stations with a Treadmill Desk.

There is always the DIY route but I am not sure that will go over well either. Dragging a treadmill into the building and a newly jigged desk complete with duct tape may not be the best solution. And that constant whirring of the treadmill may drive your colleagues insane.

Until Treadmill Desks become the norm, the only other solution is to set the alarm clock a bit earlier and quit hitting the snooze button.

-canoe.ca