Walking while he works at Winstead

Winstead lawyer Ross Robinson (left) has used a stand-up desk for years, so he’s accustomed to spending his workdays on his feet. Now he’s taking that many steps further by slowly walking on a treadmill all day long while working at his desk. His goal: to lose 40 to 50 pounds. Robinson says he heard about a study Dr. James Levine conducted at the Mayo Clinic on how people burn calories through daily activities, and Levine’s suggestion that people use treadmill work stations. In 2005, Levine and his researchers reported in the journal Science that NEAT -- non-exercise activity thermogenesis – is an important factor in determining who is thin and who is obese. They found that on average obese people sit 150 more minutes a day and burn 350 fewer calories than thin people. That study spoke to Robinson, a shareholder in Winstead’s intellectual property group, so he decided to give the treadmill work station a try. He spends about 80 percent of his workday walking on his treadmill at the relatively slow speed of .7 miles an hour. He got used to it quickly. “I don’t even think about it. It’s so slow,” he says. “Even at a mile an hour, you are just barely moving your feet.” Robinson says the constant walking gives him more energy. “I feel a little sharper in the afternoon. I don’t get that afternoon lull.” More importantly, Robinson says he has lost 6 or 8 pounds since he installed the treadmill at his desk a month ago. He has agreed to let us check in with him every two weeks to see how his weight loss is progressing. Watch here for further updates.

-- Brenda Sapino Jeffreys