Weight Loss and Wellness

Here’s an interesting way to lose weight while you’re at work. Dr. James Levine is an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic who has his desk on a treadmill. He works while walking at 1 mile per hour, burning about 100 calories per hour. The way he sees it, he’s burning about 800 calories per day without having to go to the gym.

I’d call that pretty clever. I think that he should be applauded for the attention that he is calling to the issue of inactivity at work. While we all know that computers are causing us to sit more at work, how many of us are doing anything about it? One of the reasons that more people are overweight than ever before is because the amount of “sitting around” that we do on a daily basis.

Another doctor has an interesting take on the matter. Dr. Joseph Stirt states, “When I turn the treadmill off at night, it’s so unpleasant. Sitting in a chair, working, is so unpleasant, you might as well be dead.” Wow! Now that’s a strong opinion!

Perhaps we should have all of our students on treadmills in their classrooms. Or at least at home when they are on the computer or watching television. Or perhaps we should start with adults so that we can be role models for children. I know a few doctors who could stand to lose a few pounds. Heck, just a few months ago, I was one of them.

Read more about Dr. Levine here.