Treadmill Desk: Top 52 Reasons You Need One

While most American's dreamed of some day getting "off the daily treadmill" , there is strong evidence that the average American employee needs to do the exact opposite.
Obesity levels in America have reached epidemic levels in our nation and 2 out of every 3 adults are now categorized as overweight. This has put a tremendous strain on our health care system. Costs are spiraling out of control. While Congress and the President grapple with the means of providing health care to everyone perhaps it is time to ask ourselves who really is in control of our health.

It is estimated that 84% of all medical claims in the United States are the result of poor lifestyle choices such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and smoking. Those statistics seem a bit brutal when you consider some of the underlying reasons for our expanding waistlines. However, until Americans ( and their employers) face the fact that health insurance is not a replacement for healthy living our health care crisis will most likely to continue. 

Have we gone soft? Are we in fact a lazy nation that has grown fat while the rest of the world suffers? No. We are growing larger because we are working harder. Sounds counter intuitive at first but this is a trend affecting every developed nation in the world. There is in fact a rising global obesity epidemic, including the nations of Japan and China. 

The culprit? In a word: Chairs. The sedentary nature of employment prevents most employees from moving enough during the day to maintain optimal weight and health. Add to this the long commutes to work and the lack of exercise after work and it easy to see why the waistlines of many nations are growing along with their health care expenditures.

While we sit our bodies shut off the production of an enzyme known as Lipase, critical for burning fat. Calories meant to be burned by the muscles as fuel are stored instead in our adipose tissue (fat cells). Our metabolism and lymphatic systems slow as well making us more vulnerable to weight gain and disease.

What can be done? Many studies have shown that our health is dependent upon movement during the day. This should not be a surprise when one considers we have evolved over millions of years to walk 30-35 miles per day yet on average most of us only walk 1-2 miles in a single day.
During the 1960's Americans burned on average 700 calories more per day and only consumed 100 calories less. The largest change is not in our diets but in the lack of movement in our day.
Americans cite two reasons for not exercising : lack of time and lack of motivation. We need a means of living that restores a natural flow of movement into our day which is automatic and does not require a commitment of additional time.
Treadmill desks offer this solution. Employees are able to walk slowly during the day (without sweating) and can complete nearly any task they normally undertake sitting down at a desk. It is automatic and requires no additional time commitment. At the end of the day an employee will have burned between 800-1400 calories and allowed the body to do what it was designed to do: walk.
There are literally hundreds of medical reports illustrating the virtues of walking daily.  .
Listed below are 52 healthy reasons why employers should consider allowing their employees to use a treadmil desk during the day:

1. Switches on the body's metabolic furnace, allowing efficient calorie burning.
2. Treadmill desks stimulate the lymphatic system and wards off disease.
3. Stimulates brain function, improving memory as much as 15% in a 6 month period using a treadmill desk.
4. Increases blood flow to the brain and increases productivity.
5. Improves mood and wards off mild depression without medication.
6. Treadmill desks promotes significant weight loss and control of appetite.
7. Prevents onset of Type II Diabetes and assists with control.
8. A treadmill desk improves blood circulation throughout the body.
9. Improve lung capacity and strength walking with a treadmill desk.
10. Promotes healthy restorative sleep patterns.
11. Bolsters the immune system.
12. Treadmill desks prevent bone loss (osteoporosis).
13. Reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
14. Treadmill desks reduce bad cholesterol (LDL).
15. Improves blood lipid profiles.
16. A treadmill desk increases good cholesterol (HDL) levels.
17. Walking at a treadmill desk reduces overall body fat.
18. Treadmill desks enhance mental well being.
19. A treadmill desk reduces the risk of colon cancer.
20. Walking with a treadmill desk may reduce the risk of breast cancer.
21. Reduces inflammation from arthritis and osteoarthritis.
22. Increases flexibility and coordination, reducing risks of falls.
23. Reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimers.
24. Walking with a treadmill desk consistently INCREASES LIFE SPAN.
24. Relieve back pain walking on a treadmill desk.
25. Treadmill desks assist in recoveries after some surgeries.
26. Treadmill desks may reduce side effects of chemotherapy.
27. Increases strength of leg and back muscles.
28. Treadmill desks prevent loss of work from sick days.
29. Increases overall fitness levels and health.
30. Treadmill desks prevent arthritis in the knees.
31. Walking daily assists in the rehabilitation of stroke victims.
32. Daily recommended minimum 10,000 steps completed in 3 hours with TrekDesk.
33. Frees up more time for you and your family,
34. A treadmill desk significantly reduces stress levels.
35. TrekDesk makes exercise automatic and habit forming.
36. A treadmill desk can assist in reducing high blood pressure.
37. Lowers the risk of gallstones and gall bladder surgeries.
38. Stimulates release of dopamine, increasing levels of happiness.
39. A treadmill desk assists in smoking cessation efforts.
40. Decreases craving for nicotine.
41. May decrease risk of heart disease in women by 40%.
42. May decrease risk of stroke in men by as much as 50%.
43. Treadmill desks assist in reducing health care costs.
44. A treadmill desk reduces necessity for some medications.
45. A treadmill desk may decrease the risk of contracting glaucoma.
46. Increases regularity, decreases incidence of constipation.
47. Significantly less stress on your joints than running.
48. Treadmill desks increase libido, enhances sex lives.
49. Treadmill desks decreases the incidence of impotence.
50. Decreases incidence of sleep apnea; enhances sleep.
51. Protects against likelihood of hip fractures.
52. Increases levels of self satisfaction and wellness.
If the benefits of treadmill desks listed above seem too good to be true remember they are backed by decades of solid medical research. Our society always searches for miracle cures from scientific breakthroughs and medicines, yet the greatest means of restoring health, walking, rarely is mentioned in the general media today.
 
Financial Benefits of a Treadmill Desk?

Companies analyze ROI differently depending upon their cost structure however treadmill desks have been shown to have a significant impact on decreasing sick days and increasing efficiencies and productivity. Combining that with lower overall medical care costs per employee makes treadmill desks a wise decision for both corporate and home office users.