Walk While You Work

Instead of sitting at your desk all day, wouldn't it be great if you could, say, walk in place at your computer and shed a few pounds?

That's exactly what researchers thought when they designed a workstation treadmill. They estimated it could help overweight people lose up to 66 pounds in a year. But because you won't find these far-thinking contraptions at your local Wal-Mart, here are a few realistic ways to make desk life less stationary.

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Obese workers had to walk at a speed of only 1 mile per hour at the walk-and-work stations to burn twice the calories they normally did during a workday. And replacing just 2 or 3 hours of sitting with walk-and-work action could burn 44 to 66 pounds over the course of a year. Bottom line: Moderate activity matters. Here are some quick and easy ways to eke some exercise out of your workday:

• Spend half your lunch hour walking.
• Take three 10-minute walking breaks.
• Fidget (here's how it helps).
• Ask your employer about subsidizing memberships at local gyms.

No matter how hectic your schedule may be, you should try to walk 30 minutes every day. If it doesn't happen at work, slap on your walking shoes as soon as you get home.

Here are five ways that walking can be a lifesaver.

The energy expenditure of using a "walk-and-work" desk for office workers with obesity. Levine, J. A., Miller, J. M., British Journal of Sports Medicine 2007 Sep;41(9):558-561.