Researchers at the Nutrition and Wellness

Research Center are currently conducting a study involving exercise

and office work. The study focuses around the use of a walking work

station, which is basically a treadmill with a desk on top.

The primary use of the walking work station is

to allow one to walk on the treadmill while doing daily work

activities such as checking email, typing and reading documents and

browsing the Web. The possibilities are endless once one has become

comfortable with the multitasking.

Jeanne Stewart, assistant scientist at the

center, has had the opportunity to use the walking work station

many times during her team’s study.

“It is easy to get carried away while

working,” Stewart said. “Once while typing a document, I lost track

of time and before I knew it I had been walking for two hours.”

Stewart’s report helps to prove the usability

of the walking work station. For many, that is still a looming

issue.

Over the course of this year and continuing

until the end of April, faculty will have the opportunity to try

the walking work station for a few weeks. In total, hundreds of

faculty will have used the walking work station by the research’s

end.

Greg Welk, associate professor of kinesiology,

is heading the research study. Welk was sure to make clear that the

study was not only about the walking work station but about

exercising in the workplace as a whole.

The research team said it hopes to show an

improvement in health and wellness for those participating in the

study.

“Our goal is to provide viable options for

those who wish to live a more active lifestyle,” Welk said. “We

want to see a correlation between exercise and health for even

those who have time to exercise 15 to 30 minutes each day.”

The study will end in April. At that time, the

study results will be available.