Falling asleep on the Job - Take a Hike

Ever have trouble staying awake at work? If you frequently experience afternoon slump you'll be interested in the Treadmill Desk invented by Dr. James Levine as a way to exercise while you're at your desk! Seems like there's no way you'd be sleepy if you're walking while you work!

On the average Dr Levine's research subjects burned 100 extra calories every hour while walking slowly -- at 1 mile per hour -- than while sitting in a chair. Just think of what could be done if you walk a bit more briskly!

And if you battle zzzz's during boring meetings with long-winded speakers, and/or diet-busting doughnuts, Jennifer Baran offers an antidote... a walking conference room. Everyone walks on treadmills or elliptical machines so there is no sitting going on.

In addition to staying awake, the new Treadmill Desk benefits you by...

1. Increasing your brain power

"Exercise in many ways optimizes your brain to learn," says Dr. John Ratey, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston who's at work on a book about exercise and the brain.

"The brain cells actually become more resilient and more pliable and are more ready to link up," he says. It's this linking up that allows us to retain new information.

2. Trimming the fat Without breaking a sweat, the so-called work-walker can burn an estimated 100 to 130 calories an hour at speeds slower than two miles an hour, Mayo research shows.

3. Improving concentration

“I thought it was ridiculous until I tried it,” said Ms. Krivosha, 49, a partner in the law firm of Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand.

Ms. Krivosha said it is tempting to become distracted during conference calls, but when she is exercising, she listens more intently.

“Walking just takes care of the A.D.D. part,” she said.

4. Relieving stress and enhancing mood

"Exercise improves circulation throughout the body, including the brain," Harvard's John Ratey explains. "Exercise also boosts metabolism, decreases stress and improves mood and attention, all of which help the brain perform better," he says.

5. Creating a climate for high impact minds

"Increasingly science is shedding light on how we create settings that work either for or against human brains," Ellen Weber points out.

Seems like the Treadmill Desk may be a thoughtful answer to transform the way you and I work this year. Thoughts?