Shalene RhodesJulie Forrest3/6/08

Obesity, back pain, and muscle imbalances are three of the most common health consequences that can be caused by the typical desk job.

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine recently documented, men who put in more than 6 hours a day at a desk job are at a significantly increased risk of obesity, particularly when compared to those working at a desk less than an hour a day.

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Essentially, more time spent sitting sedentary at a desk means less time being active and burning off those calories you inevitably put on through: -office birthday cakes-fatty cafeteria foods-snacking in your cubicle

“I truly believe this will help millions and millions of people. This isn't the solution to obesity in America, but it is part of the solution.”-Dr. James Levine

WMVQuickTime

At least half of the 150 million Americans who go to work every day wind up sitting at a desk

The Walkstation combines burning calories with building commerce.

Working it out at work

American workers are fat--and it's our employers' fault.

According to The Marlin Company’s just-released 2007 workplace poll conducted by Harris Interactive, Just 36% of workers in 2007 said their company was “very active” or “somewhat active” in offering information about exercise and healthy eating, 22% fewer than in 2004

The number of employees whose companies were “not at all” or “not very active” has dropped from 63% in 2004 to 41% in 2007.

Meanwhile, it seems that companies have not made the same strides to discourage junk food consumption. In the 2004 survey, 84% of workers whose companies had vending machines said their workplace vending machines were stocked with snacks, such as potato chips, cookies, and candy bars, a difference of just 9% over 2007.

Obesity is clearly a serious health problem, and replacing the task chair with a treadmill can't hurt.

The Walkstation seems a logical, kill-two-birds-with-one-stone piece of office design. But if design is an expression of culture, then the Walkstation reveals a sad truth about American ideals of work exercise, and technology.

The U.S. has not only the world's highest incidence of obesity but also one of its longest workweeks, and the two are plainly linked

An estimated one-third of Americans are obese

Potential health issues related to obesity can drive health care costs up to $100 billion a year

Employers are trying various solutions, such as giving away gym memberships or actually paying workers to shed pounds.

Online

Word of mouth

Companies

Walkstation :Designed by Steelcase and Dr. James Levine $3,500-$4,500

For more information, call 800.333.9939

http://www.details-worktools.com/?gclid=CJ22xqDK6pECFQUBiQod1H-vWg

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/feb2008/id20080215_167961.htm

http://time-blog.com/work_in_progress/2007/10/junk_food_at_work.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3775105