Walking at my desk

I'm currently reading Brain Rules by Jon Medina every night before I go to bed and enjoying every minute of it. One of the things he discusses in his book is that our brains not only work better if we exercise more often but that they work better while we exercise. This point was supported in this article by Mandy Katz for the New York Times, "I Put In 5 Miles at the Office". She talks about a new desk called the Walkstation that has been built around a treadmill. It lets you walk slowly while you work at your desk on your computer or making deals on the phone.

"The Walkstation, which Dr. Levine helped develop, costs about $4,000 and comes in 36 laminate finishes with an ergonomically curved desktop. Its quiet motor is designed for slow speeds, said David Kagan, director of marketing communications at Details, a division of Steelcase."

I sent the link to my principal begging to be the first guinea pig and the first out of my little cubby hole of a desk. In this year of budget cuts, I don't hold much hope for a Walkstation.

Plan B is to get out the tools and modify my wife's treadmill. I shall call it Al's Work Mill and it will make me famous amongst my cubical cell mates. I think our motto will be, "Walk your way to a better mind and a smaller behind". My classroom model will be called the "Student Step to Success Desk Mill". If the kids start getting out of hand, push up the speed! Listen to that chatter disappear as they start walking faster and try to type in html code at the same time. Classroom management and better learning. I may get rich out of this?

[Image: Captured from article "I Put In 5 Miles at the Office"; http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/health/nutrition/18fitness.html?_r=2&no_interstitial&oref=slogin&oref=slogin]