I Can't Stop Talking About Walking!

There are many things to love about working at Human Solution, including weekly barbecues, a kitchen full of healthy snacks, our sweet height-adjustable ping-pong table, great coworkers, and the ability to try out hundreds of ergonomic products -- but my favorite perk by far is my treadmill desk. It has made a huge difference in my workday to be able to stroll along at whatever pace I choose as I work.

Since I started my Year of the Treadmill back in January, I've tried a range of walking speeds and total walking time per day, and I think I've finally found what works best for me. I started out at 1.1 mph, then went up to 1.2 (a much bigger difference than you might think), anywhere from one hour to three hours per day. That was working well, but I thought I'd try a few other speeds and see what kind of a difference that made.

First, I went up to 1.3. You wouldn't think that such a small increase would have much impact, but that tiny extra .1 mph can pack a punch. I got a little tired after an hour or so, and I didn't look forward to walking as much as I used to. I decided to significantly decrease my speed, and tried 0.9 mph. That turned out to be the golden ticket. It's a very slow pace that allows me to walk for several hours throughout the day if I want to. The steady rhythm keeps me focused and the movement keeps me energized. There are three or four of us on this side of the office who have found this slow pace to be the sweet spot, and you can usually finding us all taking a gentle stroll together at any given time of day. Others find this pace to be maddeningly slow, and prefer to kick their treadmills up to 2.5 mph or more. That's what's so great about the UPLIFT Treadmill Desk; you can choose any speed up to 4 mph based on your preferences and work tasks.

It's not just that walking is enjoyable and energizing. There are so many amazing benefits to walking, and I love that I can access them all right here at the office. For example, did you know that walking at a slow pace for just 15 minutes after a meal speeds digestion rates and lowers blood sugar levels? This finding has been repeated in several studies. In fact, a short walk after each meal is more effective at clearing glucose from the bloodstream than one 45-minute walk taken in the morning. Another new study shows that a brisk 15-minute walk can temporarily reduce sugar cravings. This could be a useful, quick strategy to use in place of your afternoon soda. And according to the American Heart Association, walking results in a lowered risk of coronary disease, osteoporosis, breast and colon cancer, and diabetes. Walking improves your emotional and mental well-being too, both immediately and over the longer term. Participants in a recent study, who walked for just 30 minutes at lunchtime three times a week, reported feeling less tense, more enthusiastic, less stressed, and more relaxed after their walks.

I'm lucky to be able to harness all the benefits of walking at the same time I'm working. This is multitasking at its finest: getting paid and getting healthy, all at the same time? It sounds like a no-brainer to me!

Get yourself a treadmill desk at TheHumanSolution.com.

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