As a journalist, I recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Mallika Marshall, an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who serves as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV. Dr. Marshall is a practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, serving on staff at Harvard Medical School and at Massachusetts General Hospital. She shared with me her insights on the benefits of active workstations in improving brain health.
Active workstations are becoming increasingly popular in modern offices, with options such as walking pads, bike desks, steppers, and standing desks being integrated into daily routines. A recent study conducted by a team at the Mayo Clinic found that these workstations may have a positive impact on brain health. Over four days, 44 participants were placed in different office settings to analyze their neurocognitive function, including reasoning, memory, concentration, and typing speed.
The results showed that when using active workstations, participants experienced either an improvement or maintenance of their brain function compared to traditional seated work environments. Specifically, reasoning scores improved when individuals were standing, stepping or walking as opposed to sitting. However, typing speed did slow down in these scenarios. This study suggests that integrating active workstations into daily routines could be beneficial in preventing obesity, heart disease
