Latest Fitness Craze: Lose Weight While Talking on the Phone

SAN FRANCISCO, May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Office workers are getting fatter, not fitter, according to recent reports showing obesity rates skyrocketing.

But a new wireless phone headset can help office workers lose weight simply by walking around when talking on the phone. The average person who adds 1,500 steps a day can lose up to 500 calories a day, which translates into 1 pound a week or 50 pounds a year when they use the OfficeRunner Wireless Headset System from Sennheiser.

"The less you sit, the happier and healthier you'll be," said Mike Faith, president of Headsets.com, America's leading provider of office telephone headsets for large companies and small businesses. "The Office Runner makes staying in shape simple and natural for people who use the phone every day."

To see Mike exercising effortlessly with the Office Runner, check out this video.

"If you're like me, you find it hard to go to the gym every day. But it is easy to walk around and lose weight if you aren't chained to your desk by a corded phone. With the Sennheiser Office Runner, you can make and receive calls up to 400 feet from your desk -- and the battery lasts 12 hours, so you can walk around wherever you want in the office," he said.

Many people say they get bored by exercising at the gym, but nearly everyone finds walking easy. And most people have to talk on the phone. By combining both of these fun activities, people stand a fighting chance to lose weight, improve posture and be more productive, he said.

Headsets.com is sponsoring a contest with winners receiving a Fitbit Ultra, the market-leading wireless all-day fitness tracker that also monitors sleep. The Fitbit Ultra monitors all-day activity to provide real-time feedback on steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed to encourage people to walk more and be more active.

"We want to find -- and reward -- the fittest office worker. This gives new meaning to people who can walk and talk at the same time," he said. "For people who want to lose weight, this is a chance for them to walk their talk."

Having an office staff that is physically fit can also lead to a healthy bottom line.

A research report by Richard Yonge, Ph.D. entitled "Movement in the Workplace -- Ideas for Boosting Health and Profits" shows, "There is increasing evidence that prolonged physical inactivity is not just bad for health it is also bad for the bottom line."

"It is widely assumed that high productivity at work (especially in offices) is dependent on keeping employees seated at their workstations," said Yonge, but medical research has long demonstrated that physical inactivity is a key risk factor for many degenerative diseases, like diabetes, stroke chronic back pain, colon cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

The costs of treating these diseases are extremely high, estimated to be around $150 billion in the US alone [1]. US businesses bear much of this burden through health benefits they provide to their employees.

"Ask most office workers or business owners how they feel after several hours at a computer (or sitting in meetings) and they will likely tell you they feel exhausted or lethargic and have difficulty concentrating. This is now a widespread phenomenon and research is starting back up what we know instinctively from our own experience, that prolonged sitting can lead to impaired cognitive function, poor decision making, increased reaction times and mood swings [2, 3]," said Yonge.

Fatigued employees are less efficient, make poor decisions and have lower job satisfaction, the report states.

These factors affect work performance and in turn jeopardize the bottom line of any information-based business, particularly at the end of the work day, Yonge said.

"Employees in most need of a break are the ones least likely to make a wise decision," he said.

For more information on techniques for promoting health and productivity in the workplace, contact Yonge at [email protected].

About Headsets.com

Headsets.com is America's leading provider of office telephone headsets. Headsets.com carries the largest inventory of headsets and accessories from industry leaders like Sennheiser, Plantronics, and Jabra (GN Netcom), as well as featuring their own Executive Pro line.

References:

1. Finkelstein EA, et al - Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity: Payer- And Service-Specific Estimates Health Affairs 2009; 28 (5), w822-w831

2. Ratey JJ and Loehr JE. - The positive impact of physical activity on cognition during adulthood: a review of underlying mechanisms, evidence and recommendations.
Rev Neurosci. 2011; 22(2):171-85.

3. Atkin AJ, et al - Non-Occupational Sitting and Mental Well-Being in Employed Adults. Ann Behav Med. 2011 Nov 8

SOURCE Headsets.com