Pedestals do not take you far, but they can help you live longer

Move up, standing desks and scales seats, and make room for the pedal desks – the latest gadget designed to make office life more difficult.

Lynne Kenney, a pediatric psychologist in Scottsdale, Arizona, explains that her pedal desk allows her to exercise while doing her job. "I sit for a few hours, a few days, writing, and I do not like to sit down so I pedal for hours," she said.

The pedal console helps her stay active – she registers about 6,000 steps while pedaling – but she explains that exercise keeps her on alert and helps her avoid the slump at three o'clock that many employees face after lunch. She added that she had no problem paying attention using a pedal console and writing and that it was much easier to stay focused while pedaling than when she was standing.

According to a new pilot study released on Monday, pedal desks also do more than help you in your aerobics exercises. It has been discovered that pedaling under a desk has major health benefits, including the prevention of obesity, diabetes and heart disease by insulin resistance.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst studied 12 overweight office workers, six men and six women, in two phases: pedaling at a pace chosen by light for two hours and again without pedaling. Insulin levels were lower for those who used the footswitch.

Desks are a good alternative for people who do not have time to go to the gym before or after work, said Stuart Chipkin, Endocrinologist at UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences. "We chose to incorporate physical activity into the work day," he said.

See: Exercise can make you more effective

The University of Massachusetts Amherst study found that worker skill was not affected when pedaling. The researchers analyzed the skills of the mice, the speed and accuracy of typing, the reading comprehension and concentration of the participants.

Comparatively, standing desks and treadmills are not as beneficial as people may be standing too long. With pedal desks, people can walk at their own pace, the researchers said.

This is not the first study touting the benefits of pedal desks. An analysis of 18 full-time employees published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2011 also found that portable pedal machines thwarted the detrimental effects of sitting at a desk all day.

Risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle include heart attack, stroke, or dementia. It can even negatively affect memory, researchers at UCLA have found.

Pedal desks can cost between $ 50 and $ 400, depending on technology and size. Some look like stationary stationary bikes on which a laptop is glued, others are simply a pedal that sits discreetly under someone's desk or table. Some come with a pedometer to find out how many kilometers and calories were burned.

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No matter what exercise helps. The federal government announced Monday new physical activity guidelines for Americans.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services now says that any exercise will help you stay healthy, even if your weekly quota is the same day. (Previously, the government agency stated that people would benefit from good health if they worked at intervals of at least 10 minutes).

But good news for pedal users: according to new government guidelines, training several times a week is always better for short-term health and well-being, including lowering blood pressure and maintaining proper weight. . For some, the desk pedal also contributes to mental clarity. "The most important thing I benefited from was the ability to focus better and participate in my writing and reading," Kenney told MarketWatch.

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