With obesity levels continuing to rise in America and overall health rates declining, people everywhere are looking for ways to stay healthy and slim. However, the biggest factor hindering people from exercising daily is a lack of time. With the treadmill desk, employees at any business can slowly walk throughout the day as they complete their work. Here are four reasons why you should try a treadmill desk.
A Treadmill Desk Can Increase Productivity
We all know the feeling. After hours of sitting at a desk, our eyes are strained, our limbs feel sluggish, and there is a dull buzzing in our brains. The fact is, humans did not evolve to be sedentary beings. A treadmill desk mitigates the stultifying effects of an 8-hour desk job, helping to boost worker productivity. Because a treadmill desk allows you to get up and walk as you work, it enables increased blood flow to the brain, thus promoting mental alertness. In fact, studies have shown that companies that implement treadmill desks have seen a significant decrease in sick days and increased worker productivity.
A Treadmill Desk Can Improve Physical Well-Being
Between full-time work, family, kids, cooking, and other chores, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to find the time to exercise. However, it has been proven time and time again that daily exercise is vital to maintaining physical and mental health. Sitting for long periods of time actually results in a slowing of the metabolism and of the lymphatic system, which makes people more vulnerable to gaining weight.
Furthermore, when we sit all day, the body shuts down production of lipase - a critical enzyme for burning fat - and the calories that would otherwise be burned by exercising muscles for fuel are instead stored as fat. Treadmill desks can counter these problems: it can promote weight loss, reduce overall body fat, and control cravings. What's more, the exercise that treadmill desks allow has been shown to improve lung capacity and also to increase flexibility, coordination, and leg muscle strength.
A Treadmill Desk Can Enhance Your Overall Health
In addition to helping you get physically fit, treadmill desks have been shown to improve people's overall health. First and foremost, working at a treadmill desk increases blood circulation and helps to strengthen the immune system. Daily cardiovascular exercise has been proven to increase one's life span, and so a treadmill desk is invaluable in that regard.
Additionally, treadmill desks can decrease nicotine cravings for those who are trying to quit smoking and can help to reduce high blood pressure. Moreover, some studies have shown that working at a treadmill desk is positively correlated with reducing the risk of getting a range of illnesses, including coronary heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer, glaucoma, osteoporosis, and arthritis.
A Treadmill Desk Can Promote Mental Well-Being
Finally, owning a treadmill desk can bring great benefits to your mental well being as well. Over a 6-month trial period, participants who used a treadmill desk had improved in memory functioning by as much as 15 percent. Many users of treadmill desks have also reported higher levels of wellness and self-satisfaction. With the increase in exercise that treadmill desks provide comes significantly lower stress levels, healthier sleep patterns, and even higher levels of happiness due to the release of dopamine. In addition, treadmill desks have even been shown to reduce the risk of dementia, as well as increase libido and enhance people's sex lives!
It may seem like all the benefits treadmill desks provide are too good to be true, but it is perhaps less surprising when we consider that the treadmill desks promote healthy living: they encourage walking. After all, science has consistently shown just how important physical activity is for our health, and when you work at a desk 5 days a week, there just is not enough time for you to get the amount of daily exercise you need. Treadmill desks give you that opportunity for exercise while you work, helping you kill two birds with one stone.