Walking simulators installed right in the office are a great way to improve the physical and emotional health of employees.

This is evidenced by the results of a new study conducted by students of the psychology department of the University of Indiana and Purdue University in Indianapolis (IUPUI).

Michael Sliter, a psychology teacher at IUPUI, hopes that, in the wake of the epidemic of obesity and cardiovascular disease in the US, innovative methods to improve employee health will attract the attention of company managers.

"We found out that walking simulators, regardless of the level of fitness of the worker and his body mass index (BMI), are of great benefit. Even if you are not used to exercise or are overweight, short-term exercise will have a beneficial effect on your mental and physical health, "Sliter said..

A group of 180 participants were subjected to performance tests and boredom, satisfaction, stress, excitement. Scientists compared their ability to perform tasks on the computer while working on four types of simulators, including an exercise bike and a walking simulator.

The researchers found that the walking simulator is associated with great satisfaction among workers; they are less bored in the workplace and become more resistant to stress. For comparison, work with exercise bikes is associated with a reduction in employee satisfaction and productivity.

The article entitled "Workout at Work: Laboratory Tests of Psychological Outcomes and Productivity when Working with Active Exercise Machines", in which Sliter describes the results obtained, appeared the other day in the online journal of the American Psychological Association Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

Sliter plans to continue studying the psychological effects of exercise equipment for walking. In particular, the researcher intends to consider the long-term physical and psychological effects of such simulators on office workers. And today the idea of ??using active simulators for the office looks very useful: the installation of expensive equipment can be recouped by improving the health of employees and increasing their productivity.

medbe. en.