Offices could install portable pedal machines to help workers counteract the risks linked to spending hours sitting at a desk, experts said today.
Several recent studies have highlighted the dangers to the heart and circulation of spending hours at a desk – advising workers to take regular breaks.
But a new study has given workers pedals that are placed in front of their office chairs.
The devices allow workers to pedal while working at their desks.
Some 18 workers took part in the research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Most of the workers were female and overweight, with an average age of 40.
They tested the machines for four weeks – with one pedalling enough in one day to have travelled more than 13 miles and burning 500 calories.
On average machines were used for 12 days out of 20 – but the average daily length of use was just 23 minutes.
Researcher Dr Lucas Carr says the "novelty" of the devices wore off during the four weeks.
Dr Carr, of East Carolina University, North Carolina, USA, said: "Participants did maintain the level and intensity of activity over the four weeks, and just 23 minutes of pedalling could boost health if done regularly."
The British Journal of Sports Medicine February 15 2011 doi 10.1136/bjsm.2010.079574
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