Treadmill Desks Can Boost Brain Power?

A study found that sitting can kill you even if you exercise, as reported by CNN. Does this mean we should all learn to work standing up, then?

That idea could actually be a feasible - and even a brain-boosting - one, as another study showed.

Research involving desks fitted with a treadmill showed that "people who use the walking workstations see a significant boost in memory recall, even after having used them at a relatively relaxed pace for a short length of time," Mashable noted.

The study was recently published in the journal "Computers in Human Behavior."

"The Montreal-based researchers had one group of students perform a reading exercise on a treadmill desk for 40 minutes, walking at about 1.5 miles per hour, while a control group did the same exercise sitting down," the tech news site said. "Ten minutes after the walk, they were hit with dozens of questions about the reading, while an EEG machine monitored their brains for patterns related to attention and memory recall."

The researchers noticed that those who walked were 34.9% more likely to answer a question correctly. They also observed that there were a lot more "alpha" waves in the brains of those in the same group.

"We found an effect of the treadmill desk on brain activity that is associated with increased memory and attentional abilities," the researchers concluded.

Could this setup work for you? Should we start setting up a treadmill workstation?

The researchers, however, have recommended more studies be made regarding this work arrangement to validate the results.

It's worth noting, though, that a good number of experiments have been made regarding working on a treadmill desk or while standing up. There's one done by University of Minnesota professor Avner Ben-Ner. The study was featured in science and medical journal PLOS ONE, revealing that treadmill desks "boost job performance," Forbes reported.

"Ben-Ner himself works at a standing desk and when he's in his home office," the news source said. "A former marathoner, Ben-Ner, 63, says he finds his routine invigorating rather than exhausting."

There even are first-person accounts of such experiences scattered throughout cyberspace.

"After a day of work, I feel both great and tired," said CNET contributor Danny Sullivan, who decided to work on a treadmill desk back in 2013. "I feel great because rather than sit all day, I know I've gotten some beneficial exercise. I've multitasked! And for once, it's multitasking that really did do two things well at once."

Needless to say, he found out that one can indeed work while walking. Although he said he got tired "walking all day," he said it's "not a bad tired."

"It's a good tired, one that tells me I've been active," he added.

Been working in a similar way? Tell us about your experience!

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