Interesting Approach to Exercise

Dr James Levine on work treadmill 


The New York Times covers an interesting approach to getting enough exercise in our busy days from Dr. James Levine at the Mayo Clinic.

In his office he has a treadmill in place of a desk. He got it last year when he saw the data from the study comparing lean people and obese ones.

"My computer is stationed over the treadmill," he said. "I work at 0.7 miles an hour."

A stand-up desk might seem simpler, but he prefers the treadmill.

"Standing still is quite difficult," he said. "You have a natural tendency to want to move your legs. Zero point seven is the key. You don't get sweaty, you can't jiggle too much. It's about one step a second. It's very comfortable. Most people seem to like it around 0.7."

He has installed a second treadmill alongside his own, and he encourages visitors to hop on and stroll while they talk to him. It takes some getting used to, but, he says, envious colleagues at Mayo have been clamoring for treadmill desks.