Could You Work in a Walkstation?
Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:16PM EDT
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Okay, I know most days I am not moving enough and am sitting too much, typing and surfing the web on my computer. So this "walkstation" designed by Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic and Steelcase, the office furniture maker, could be the future if we don't want to be bunch of obese desk dwellers hunched over our keyboards day in, day out.
It's not so far-fetched when you think of all the treadmills with TVs that get snatched up first at the gym. But I have always had a tough time reading while walking or, gasp, running, on a treadmill. I can't envision getting actual work done. Writing emails or blog posts seems a stretch but surfing the web and reading possible.
But Levine designed it for walking slowly because, he says, even just walking 1 mph can increase energy and burn calories. The idea is any kind of movement is better than no movement.
At $6,500 each, I can't see this in many bloggers' budgets or homes, but if companies were to build them into office gyms, they might get some play.
Good idea or not realistic? Chime in. If you're in New York on Oct. 25, there will be an all-day demo of the Walkstation at 4 Columbus Circle.
LINKS: I'm so fat I need a treadmill at my desk [Time.com] Steelcase's Walkstation marries desk and treadmill [Engadget]Top 5 Posts
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2 Posted by annielynn7017 on Fri Oct 19, 2007 11:13PM EDT Report Abuse
The treadmill only goes .5 to 2mph, hardly fast enough to not be able to type. Its not meant to be a vigorous workout. And, the in the office furniture industry, no one ever pays the list price, so you would not pay the dollar amount shown here.
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3 Posted by lorismithwest on Sat Oct 20, 2007 6:40PM EDT Report Abuse
I made my own walk-station after seeing an article about this a couple of years ago. I'm on my second actually. The first was a cheaper "try-it" - bookshelf with the top shelf mounted at a downward angle, and a simple sliding keyboard shelf - wanted to see if I could walk & work first! The second is a larger deeper shelving unit, steel type that you'd have in a garage, with an articulating keyboard shelf that comes down nicely over my treadmill control panel. The larger deeper shelf was necessary to mount the articulating keyboard drawer. I place my laptop on the shelf of shelving unit. I actually use it more for watching dvd's on my laptop while I'm walking/jogging but I have worked on it or web-surfed while walking at about 1 - 2 mph. I'm a software developer and I can't use it if I really have to focus on something, but I have put in a few miles in a day when I've had less intensive work to do. My total cost, way less than $6K - treadmill I've had a few years but it was around $700, steel (garage type) shelving unit ~ $60 (and used as additional storage), articulating keyboard drawer ~ $100.
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4 Posted by ytech_dorydevlin on Sun Oct 21, 2007 4:17PM EDT Report Abuse
lorismithwest -- Thanks for the DIY workstation idea. If you've got a photo, email it to me and I can post to inspire more at-home DIY workstations that get us moving while working. ytech_dorydevlin@yahoo.com
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5 Posted by mugupo on Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:36PM EDT Report Abuse
I doubt many company gonna paid something like that unless you are a top position or work for company like microsoft or google.
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1 Posted by lissa_m1234 on Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:36PM EDT Report Abuse
not realistic, maybe to have a e-book scroll across the screen or watch your favorite videos. I like the idea of sitting down and having up down pedals for your feet.