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Cubicle Stepper Combines Work and Exercise: Two Things That Everyone Loves
Posted by Sean Fallon at 10:40 AM on November 14, 2007
If sitting in an office cubicle all day wasn't bad enough, Gamercize wants you to throw a workout into the equation with their new GZ PC-Sport Power Stepper. The stepper itself is similar to other products on the market, except this one hooks into your computer via USB and shuts down your keyboard or mouse when you start slacking off. According to the product page, using the GZ PC-Sport can burn up to 400 calories per hour with a effort level that is equivalent to a "brisk walking pace."
In addition to my duties as a writer for Giz, I am also a certified personal trainer. So I know what its like to work out hard and sit in front of a computer all day. While I always encourage clients to try and work in fitness whenever possible, I have to wonder how practical a device like this would be. Is it really possible to concentrate on your work while furiously stepping on the GZ PC-Sport? Can the stepper get the average person's heart rate elevated enough to really see results? Is using the device going to result in more than just trim calves? Hopefully a hands-on with the device will help to clear things up. [Product Page via Crave]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
BigDanInTX
Posted 6:46 PM 13/11/07
SWEET! Now, I can put sweaty cover sheets on my TPS reports! =-D
BigDanInTX
morcheeba
Posted 7:45 PM 13/11/07
It needs snakes. The way it is now, if you stop exercising, it rewards you by not having to do work. But, if it punished you instead, with, say a snake bite, you'd get a lot more exercise and work done.
morcheeba
SchruteBuck
Posted 7:36 PM 13/11/07
Every once in a while, a product comes along that makes me want to kill myself.
SchruteBuck
Reilao
Posted 9:23 PM 13/11/07
I already spend most of my time fidgeting like hell (knee moves up and down 2-4 inches at a time sort of fidgetting), so meh.
Reilao
92BuickLeSabre
Posted 8:53 PM 13/11/07
It might be useful for when you're downloading and watching all that bittorrent porn.
Talk about keeping your heart rate up.
92BuickLeSabre
hnkelley
Posted 8:38 PM 13/11/07
Great! So when I stop 'exercising' (let's face it, this isn't much of a workout). I have an excuse to also stop working. I love the idea!
"Sorry Mr. Bossman. I can't get that report to you because I twisted my ankle and can't get my PC to work."
hnkelley
92BuickLeSabre
Posted 11:13 PM 13/11/07
@tin: Don't feel blue. Late on a Saturday night, many folks finding themselves dialing up their viruses and ending up with a lime wire.
92BuickLeSabre
tin
Posted 10:49 PM 13/11/07
@92BuickLeSabre: If only. I lack the skills/motivation to fine tune my bittorrent and thus, resluts in dial-up-esque download speeds. So my porn (viruses and keyloggers)is downloaded from limewire.
tin
King of the Wild Frontier
Posted 12:02 PM 14/11/07
I've gotten one of the exercycle-type under-desk things, and the main problem that I have is finding a desk/chair/keyboard shelf combo that allows me to pedal without shoving the chair back and/or bashing my knees on the keyboard shelf.
King of the Wild Frontier
MikeHerbst
Posted 1:25 PM 14/11/07
I have to wonder if it makes any sort of noise when in use... (It almost has to!)
I can see a full on Cubicle-War erupting from the noise if myself or one of my cube neighbors got one of these things and one of us had to listen to the swish-swish-swish all day long!
Great for home-office types, I guess.
MikeHerbst
mandarin
Posted 2:01 PM 14/11/07
Looks like half a stepper... Just get an old stepper from ebay and take out that handle.
mandarin