Developing a viable cure for office worker obesity

Dr. Levine measured the energy expenditure of obese office-working volunteers in a trial study. Mean energy expenditure whilst seated at work in an office chair was 72 + 10 kcal/hour whereas the energy expenditure whilst walking-and-working at a self-selected velocity of 1.1 + 0.4 mph, was 191 + 29 kcal/hour. The mean increase in energy expenditure for walking-and-working over sitting was 119 + 25 kcal/hour.

Small effort, big weight loss The implications are clear - as Levine concludes, "if obese individuals were to replace sitting computer time with walking computer time, by two-three hours per day and if other components of energy balance were constant, weight loss of 20-30 kg/year could occur."

20-30 kg, or 44-66 pounds of weight loss in a year, without setting foot in a gym or even breaking a sweat. That's an amazing turnaround for very little effort and an ostensibly small change in lifestyle that needn't interfere with a worker's normal productivity. Levine found that it took only 2 or 3 minutes for subjects to adjust to walking at around 1mph while they worked, and although no productivity measures were taken, the subjects did not report being actively distracted by the fact that they were exercising.

Dr. Levine's own active office Dr. Levine practices what he preaches - his research clinic at the acclaimed Mayo Clinic has been entirely converted into a stand-up and walk office to incorporate as much light activity as possible into his team's daily routine. The Walk-At-Work workstations have cost him around $1000, or roughly half of what a normal cubicle costs, and he's in contact with manufacturers who could help bring the cost down well below that figure, making it an affordable office addition.

Levine has become almost addicted to the new workplace, and now views sitting down as a missed opportunity to burn more calories. Interestingly, this was a common theme among his research subjects, who all expressed that they'd love the chance to use the walk-at-work equipment beyond the end of the trials - supporting Levine's theory that non-exercise activity is far more manageable to obese office workers than heavy or gym exercise, and thus probably much more effective.

Big benefits to workers AND employers This research points to great benefits - not only for sedentary office workers, but for the companies that employ them. Implementing a few of these walk-at-work workstations and allowing staff to rotate and spend a few hours a day on them should reap all the benefits of a healthier and fitter workforce - lower absentee rates, better general concentration and higher productivity - not to mention the possible staff retention increases of a happier workforce.

It's the first study we've seen that tests a realistic and minimally-intrusive means of reversing the trend towards more and more seat time in the office. And while Levine is planning further testing for the Walk-At-Work station, including long-term weight loss studies and productivity studies to reassure business owners, the initial results are very encouraging.

Clearly something needs to be done to halt the downward trend in daily activity - perhaps the Walk-At-Work treadmill can be the first step toward a healthier and more energetic office lifestyle, and a way back up out of the sedentary slump office workers are suffering from across the developed world.