The one thing I enjoy after a day at work is a nice, long walk or jog. Once the endorphins kick in everything seems perfect. Anything that happened previously that may have stressed me out or affected me negatively gets wiped away, or at least decreases, and I get lost in the rhythm my feet make as they rush across the dark pavement of the road.

Needless to say I not only use walking or jogging as a method to decrease stress, but also to keep me physically fit. This method of exercising is both conducive to cardiovascular health, as well as weight loss. And, while I would never admit, until now, that I exercise so that I don’t fall into the McWorld America has become with overindulgence of fast food and unhealthy snacks to satisfy hunger, I usually say I exercise in this matter to observe nature. And who doesn’t enjoy seeing the leaves change color, flowers blooming, or houses adorned with Christmas decorations? However, when it comes down to it, I exercise to stay healthy and avoid the negative stereotypes that somehow have come over our country as far as weight standards. I always joke around and tell people that if I wanted to “become one” with nature I would just read Emerson or Thoreau. 

And, even though I exercise for whatever reason almost everyday, I still find myself wishing that I could exercise more.

Recently, I came across a press release issued by the Univ. of California, San Diego about an active desk, where the developer, Ernesto Ramirez, has logged 34 miles of walking within the last month without even leaving his desk. Named the “Active Desk”, Ramirez created a raised work station connected to a standard treadmill that allows him to walk while he works. What most people might not know is that sitting at your desk all day leads to an elevated risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease. Since it is the norm to stay about 8-10 hours of day behind a computer at work, Ramirez wanted to influence people to walk to promote health, being the main driving point behind his invention.

And, while employees of Calit2 will be the first to get a shot at using the Active Desk after Ramirez makes it available on a reservation basis in January, after Ramirez aggregates the statistical data of his invention (data on energy consumption/expenditure and other metrics), he will see if the Active Desk is suited for other office work environments.

Now, that is a desk I could get use to!