Outfitting offices with ‘active workstations’ improves employee health

Outfitting offices with ‘active workstations’ improves employee health

A seated desk job working at a computer many hours each day takes a toll on your body and health.  In a country afflicted by obesity and with an abundance of sedentary occupations, many employers are turning more and more to outfitting their offices with “active workstations.”  Taking a walk while working is no longer considered taboo.   Today, offices are outfitting themselves with treadmills, under desk ellipticals and desk cycles allowing employees to move more while on the job.

All of this is good news for any worker suffering from back and neck pain resulting from hunching over their desk for hours.  Sitting for long periods of time is also considered a major risk factor for weight gain, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. 

But just how effective are these in-office exercise equipment?  Is there sufficient evidence showing these active workstations to be of benefit for improving health and wellness among workers?

The answer appears to be “yes.”  Any movement that can be incorporated while at work is a far better solution to improving the health of our workforce than what we’ve been doing for decades.  Here’s what research is showing:

·      Alternative to a sedentary lifestyle

Here’s a scenario played out over and over every day for many of us – we drive or commute to work seated, we are seated at our desk for the entire day with little movement, we drive or commute back home seated, and then spend the evening seated in front of the TV or computer before going to bed. 

The active workstations are not meant to be in lieu of aerobic exercise but they are a far better alternative to a sedentary lifestyle.  Sedentary living or “sitting disease” has put America’s health in jeopardy.  A 2014 study published in Circulation: Heart Failure, followed 82,000 men for more than 10 years and found those who reported high levels of sedentary time and low levels of physical activity had 2.2 times the risk of developing heart failure than men reporting high physical activity and low sedentary time. 

·      Weight loss benefits

It makes sense that any movement will burn more calories than non-movement.  Maybe a 1.0 mph walk on a treadmill at work may not seem to be of much benefit but it’s more than most people realize.  A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found office workers who walked at a pace of 1 to 2 mph burned roughly 100 calories an hour more than those who remained seated all day.  It may not sound significant, but the cumulative effect can be powerful. After about a month of office treadmill workouts, employees could possibly lose 2 pounds without making any changes to their diet or going to the gym.  That averages out to 24 pounds a year making vast improvements in a person’s health. 

·      Improves resting metabolism

Seated at a desk for hours will do very little to anything for boosting metabolism.  But, get a person up and moving and suddenly their metabolism will be humming along at a higher rate of speed.  Do this the majority of their work day and suddenly they go from a sedentary activity level to a more active lifestyle.  When using an active workstation, people can double their resting metabolism by putting out 1.7 to 2.5 METs (measurements of energy output).  This can result in getting an individual’s maximum heart rate working at 60% allowing them to avoid the health risks of being inactive. 

·      Reduces boredom and improves job satisfaction

Sitting on your bottom all day can lead to feelings of boredom and less satisfaction with your job.  A 2014 study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that working while walking requires focus and concentration, reducing the dullness of tedious jobs while providing more fulfillment and gratification toward their work.    

While there is no guarantee a person’s productivity will increase, at the same time, it is unlikely to decline.  A Mayo Clinic study found workers who used a treadmill desk for one year had their daily activity increase along with a reduction in weight loss.  It showed there was no negative impact on performance and the participants became healthier as a result. 

·      Boost in job performance

All bosses are looking for employees who show improvements in performing their job.  Keep them active while working may be the answer.  With the ability to be actively exercising on the job, there is more incentive to continue working as opposed to taking breaks to get up and stretch your legs.  Not that an employee still wouldn’t want to do that, but knowing they are moving while working means less time spent in being away from the work at hand. 

In conclusion

Even though active workstations should not replace or be a substitute for actual exercise, they are a far better alternative to keeping employees seated for hours a day.  There are already too many seated activities many people do in addition to a sedentary job – online shopping, social media, playing video games, etc.  Active workstations are at least a move in the right direction for many workers who have been harming their health for years while seated on the job. 

Real-World Examples of Virtual Reality in Healthcare

There was a time when virtual reality seemed like a thing far away in the future or a recent science fiction movie we had seen but now it’s becoming more real and consumer friendly each day. The smartphone has created this accessibility of virtual reality. One of the most impactful ways virtual reality can be carried out in our society is through healthcare.

A growing number of health professionals including doctors and researchers are showing data showing the efficiency around virtual and augmented reality which grew from $525 million in 2012 to an estimated $976 million in 2017, according to Kalorama research report.

From treating pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, smoking cessation and even the dentist appointment you have to do every 6 months, virtual reality is showing promise and progress across healthcare. Here are a few real-world use case scenarios where VR could change the game.

1. Surgical Training

Educating current and potential physicians is conducted the traditional way through books, tests, pens and paper. Advocates of virtual reality believe this can all be changed around medical education especially when it comes to surgical training.

A few innovators are offering a different option for training around surgery, often done at only a few centers around the country using expensive artificial body parts. Osso VR, provides software that makes a virtual operating room on platforms for virtual reality like Oculus Rift/Touch or HTC Vive. Practicing surgery using VR brings more surgeons to get in more reps specifically on complex surgeries.

Osso VR, which just raised $2 million, provides software that creates a virtual operating room on VR platforms like Oculus Rift/Touch or the HTC Vive. Practicing surgeries in virtual reality allows surgeons to get in more reps, particularly on complicated procedures.

2. Pain Management

Virtual reality can affect pain management which hurts so many Americans and Cedars Sinai’s VR program is tackling this exact issue. Dr. Brennan Spiegel and his colleagues are experimenting with using VR to escape the “bio-psycho-social” isolation of living with pain or chronic pain. They use a headset to help patients manage pain and it’s been tested with 300 patients so far. Think managing chronic pain, depression, anxiety and even hypertension.

You can read more about Spiegel’s efforts at Cedars Sinai here and here.

3. Patient Education

Cedars Sinai is also partnering with Holman United Methodist Church in south LA on a community health education initiative aimed at reducing hypertension in a vulnerable population.

This educational program is bigger than VR but currently members use a VR program that takes them into a virtual kitchen where foods are labelled with their sodium content then taking them inside the body to show a visualization of what hypertension does to the heart. They then created a relaxation app to help members deal with stress which also contributes to hypertension.

4. Clinician Education

Text books and 2D anatomical images aren’t the only way doctors learn about common diseases and drugs. A New Jersey-based drug development company are focused on gastrointestinal conditions that were developed during an interactive VR platform to guide clinicians through an open-minded approach to treatment.  

5. Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation

Virtual reality enhances 3D motion tracking cameras that currently track and gamify movement which could affect how patients are trained to bring back their mobility from physical therapy. Patients could potentially be sent home with exercises that motive them and simultaneously collect hard data on things like motion. And they could do this in the comfort of the own home, not just at the PT appointment once a week - potentially speeding up recovery.

On the backend, a physical therapist can see data collected through the device and can change the parameters of the game on the fly in order to guide the patient to the most beneficial exercise.

6. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD continues to be an area where researchers are trying to understand how to treat it. It’s one of the most pervasive mental health conditions in the U.S. and continues to be the most challenging to treat. Exposure therapy is what many professionals want to move treatment to and VR allows them to provide that exposure in a physically controlled and safe environment.  

Anything could trigger an episode in which the person with PTSD is transported back to the moment the traumatic event or events happened. It seems counterintuitive to purposely put a PTSD sufferer back in that place, but experts say using virtual reality creates a world where people with the condition can exert control over the situation, therefore experiencing a sense of resolution.

Equipment-Free Exercises to do Anywhere

Performing bodyweight exercises on different surfaces like sand can make them more challenging. These tips are the best for traveling which can be the most challenging and excuse-ridden for not getting some movement throughout the day.

Aerobic Exercise

Even if you're confined to a room or location with no running trails, you can always train your cardiovascular system. Calisthenics like jumping jacks, burpees and mountain climbers are a great way to your raise your heart rate. Try completing three sets of 10 to 20 repeats of each exercise and you'll have yourself a quality Tabata-style workout. Don’t feel like counting, or need more of a challenge? Set your alarm for timed intervals. Need to log miles? Laps around a parking lot or repeatedly climbing stairs can mimic a good run or hike.

Strength Training

No weights, no problem; bodyweight exercises tone and strengthen your body. Think push ups, lunges, squats and planks. They are super strengthening because they work multiple muscle groups at once. They can all be modified to make them more challenging or target additional muscles. Manipulate your routine by changing the surface or surroundings. Standing on an unstable surface is more of a challenge than being on firm ground.

DIY Boot Camp

Having to do the same routine day in and day out can get boring. But there are lots of ways to keep your fitness routine interesting – even on the road. Change the order of your exercises or, better yet, leave it up to chance by using a deck of cards or rolling a die to decide what your next exercise is and how many sets or reps you should do. You can also try making up a new workout progression; go from a squat to a lunge to a pushup all in one move.

Walk in the Woods

Start your workout with a brisk walk outdoors. You don’t need to take a long road trip to Yosemite - any local park or green space will do. Many communities offer biking and walking paths that make it convenient and accessible to people young and old.

Make Your Own Adventure Outside

Do your best to not ignore structures that amp up your workout in outdoor spaces. Many outdoor parks line fitness trails with simple obstacle courses and structures that challenge any move during your workout. Take advantage of free equipment for a more dynamic workout. Check out adventure parks in new communities - both free and small fee - where often rock walls and rope courses can challenge and change up your workout.

Combinations are king

With an exercise it can be great to do that exercise outside, uphill or even in water. Consider yoga which can be done in water. Combining any two activities enhances the workout and being outside relieves stress in ways exercise can’t do alone.

Start your digital detox today

Leave those electronic devices behind but to get the most of your green exercise - you really have to let go. We live in a box and work in one. Nature can expand our horizons in ways we never even imagined. Exercising in nature can relieve stress and unplugging frequently can keep us wired. Use green exercises as an excuse to disconnect and boost mind-body benefits of your workout.