Summary
Rob Jacobs, exercise physiologist and creator of the Unsit treadmill desk, explains the science behind why sitting is devastating to health and how treadmill desks offer a practical solution. His background includes work at the Pritikin Longevity Center and running The Walking Center in Beverly Hills. Jacobs designed a wider, shorter, quieter treadmill specifically for office use — walking at just 1-1.3 mph. He references Dr. James Levine's research and a Stanford study showing creativity increases up to 60% while walking. Jacobs envisions a future where offices default to standing and walking, with short sitting breaks instead of the reverse. The discussion covers the physiological cascade of sitting — from reduced blood flow and nerve compression to insulin resistance and diabetes — and how the simple act of standing and walking reverses many of these effects.
Key Points
- Treadmill desk creator designed a wider, shorter, quieter unit specifically for office environments
- Walking at 1-1.3 mph during work; typing accuracy returns to normal after a 2-3 week adaptation period
- Stanford study found creativity increases up to 60% when subjects walk on a treadmill
- Sitting shuts down signals from feet to brain, reducing alertness and problem-solving ability
- Prolonged sitting compresses spinal discs, impedes circulation, and leads to sciatic nerve pain
- Blood sugar regulation is severely impaired by sitting — the pancreas overworks to compensate
- The treadmill desk is less about exercise and more about removing the chair — like replacing cigarettes with gum
- Jacobs predicts offices will default to standing/walking within a few years, with sitting breaks replacing walking breaks
- Walking pumps the lymph system, boosting immune function and cellular waste removal
- Zero chairs in Jacobs' home office — his kids do homework on a treadmill desk too
Key Moments
How an exercise physiologist designed a better treadmill desk
Rob Jacobs explains how observing Dr. James Levine's treadmill desk on TV led him to design a wider, shorter, quieter version specifically for office work, drawing on his background at the Pritikin Longevity Center.
"I saw Dr. James Levine on, I think, Good Morning America with a treadmill desk and being a fitness instructor and a fitness trainer, exercise physiologist. I thought it was, you know, it wasn't enough exercise to cause any real health effect. So I didn't pay much attention to it."
Typing adaptation period and improved focus
Jacobs describes the 2-3 week adaptation period where typing speed and accuracy drop before returning to normal. He now has zero chairs in his home office — even his kids do homework on a treadmill desk.
"My emails had a lot of typos in it. I was having to go back and make corrections. I couldn't type as fast. But after a couple of weeks, I started getting used to that. My typing speed, my typing accuracy returned."
The physiological cascade of prolonged sitting
Jacobs explains the full physiological damage chain from sitting — feet signal the brain to shut down alertness, circulation drops, spinal discs compress, nerve pain develops, and insulin resistance begins.
"when you stand up and put weight on the bottom of your feet, put your whole body weight onto your feet, it sends a signal right up to your brain that we're awake. There could be threats out there that we have to watch out for. There could be opportunities that we might want to take advantage."
Stanford study — creativity increases 60% while walking
Jacobs references the Stanford creativity study and historical examples of walking fueling innovation, from Nikola Tesla inventing the AC motor on the beach to Steve Jobs taking walking meetings.
"Nikolai Tesla invented the AC induction motor while walking around on the beach. And Steve Jobs was famous for taking engineers out on walks in his backyard to think of new solutions. Reagan Gorbachev ended the Cold War on a walk in Reykjavik, Iceland."
