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Observe American Heart Month With an Innovative Way to Walk at Work

Posted on: Thursday, 22 January 2009, 07:00 CST

Walkstation from Details integrates height-adjustable worksurface with low-speed treadmill

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- With American Heart Month on tap for February, now is a great time for employers to encourage healthy heart habits, namely exercise.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/CLMFNS1 )

Research indicates that moderate exercise 30 minutes per day can help boost productivity while reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, the nation's number-one killer. Problem is, finding that 30 minutes can be a challenge for desk-based office workers.

For years, taking the stairs instead of the elevator has been about the best option available. Now there's another that's potentially far more effective -- the Walkstation from Details, a Steelcase company.

The Walkstation integrates a height-adjustable worksurface with a slow-moving treadmill, allowing office workers to burn off some calories while reading, computing, meeting, or making phone calls.

"The Walkstation isn't intended to work up a sweat," says Details President Bud Klipa. "The purpose is simply to give office workers an easy way to keep moving on the job and enjoy the health benefits that can result."

The integrated treadmill operates within a limited range of .3 to two miles per hour, slow enough to allow users to focus on their work, yet fast enough to burn up to 100 calories per hour.

At a base price of about $4,000, employers frequently place Walkstations in common areas or conference rooms, where employees can take turns enjoying the benefits.

Denver Water, for example, installed a Walkstation in its call center and invited Customer Service Representatives to sign up to use it two hours per day, allowing them to field customer calls without being tethered to their workstation. The first Walkstation proved so popular that the utility soon added another.

Likewise, SALO, a financial staffing company in Minneapolis, added a handful of Walkstations in its central office area for shared use, as well as others in a conference room so employees can hold walking meetings.

The Walkstation is the first offering from Details' FitWork(TM) product line, which is designed to help sedentary office workers adopt healthy habits in the workplace.

For more information about the Walkstation or other Details products, visit www.details-worktools.com.

Details, a Steelcase company based in Grand Rapids, Mich., provides innovative worktool solutions compatible with most furniture systems. Details worktools are sold through a network of 450 dealers and are featured in 20 Steelcase showrooms throughout North America. For more information about Details, visit www.details-worktools.com.

SOURCE Details, a Steelcase company

Source: PR Newswire

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