What if, while you were reading this article, you were actually in the process of walking a mile? What if I, while writing this, was imagining myself on a brisk jog around the block?
Treadmill workstations aren’t just a tool for the busy executive, the fitness junkie, or the person who can’t bear to miss the live airing of their favorite soap — they could be vital to any employee who spends their day at a desk. When you don’t move certain muscles for long periods of time, they degenerate and cause discomfort (which can be worked out, of course, by way of a good massage). But if there’s a way to prevent that, why not take the idea for a spin?
Julie Côté, a researcher from McGill University, conducted a study that showed very concretely that walking while completing a job at the computer put more muscles to work and left people without much of the neck and back muscle pain associated with hunching over a computer.
She, for the record, comes from the other end of the spectrum: as someone who used to be a runner and got injured, she became interested in the inner workings of the muscular system. So don’t worry! This is the one time someone is not trying to insult you by suggesting you “walk it off.”
Read the full article here: Taking the pain out of office work