Walking Desks For One, For All!

Genevieve Healy, MD of the University of Queensland recently led a study linking prolonged sitting to heart disease. It was followed up several months later by an article on NPR about walking desks. I unwittingly posted about my walking desk to Facebook the same day as the NPR article. It caused quite a stir so it seemed like an excellent thing for MMS’ Human Resources (aka Wellness) to share with all of you. They are saying that even going to the gym for an hour a day can’t counteract the effects of sitting, even for a couple of hours at a time. My partner had read about the correlation between sitting and heart disease when the study was published. Having spent most of his life in front of the computer, as an avid gamer and software engineer, he wanted a walking desk.  We both work from home so when we moved, he got his wish.

We purchased a used treadmill off Craigslist. Using some metal shelves and spare wood, he set up a homemade walking desk. He immediately became an advocate. He said I needed to do it too. Within a month we had assembled mine in a similar fashion. I won’t lie, they aren’t pretty. They are highly functional, and cheap. They probably cost less than $200 each to assemble.

From the first day, I knew, I too was going to become an advocate. Since I started using the desk I have found that while I am walking at a slow, steady pace (1.2 – 1.5mph) I am less likely to click away from the task at hand. It is easier to focus on what is in front of me. Whatever part of my brain would tempt me to check email when I was sitting is now busy keeping me on the treadmill. There are some situations that require me to stop walking. If I need to focus on a larger issue, but as time goes on that becomes less and less the case.

There was the initial breaking in phase, where I felt broken and done in! I started with one mile a day, and sitting for several hours. Now standing is more comfortable, and I only sit a couple times a week. I comfortably walk 3.5miles each day while working, and that number is on the rise. At the end of the day we both now have more energy to chase the toddler. An added bonus is that we are seeing slow changes in our waistlines. It has taken weeks to see results, but I can feel the results. I know this may not be for everyone, but I encourage others to consider it. At the very least, anyone who spends 2 hours or more a day sitting should get up and walk around at least once an hour. If you work from home I strongly encourage you to consider the walking desk! It is easier than you think, and there are tons of benefits. Next step will be figuring out how to get it to power the computer and monitor!

Nora Brennan
Director, Human Resources
Metaverse Mod Squad