If you work in an office setting, you know the difficulty of sitting at a computer for almost 8 hours straight. It is physically and mentally exhausting, and can lead to many future medical issues. It is incredibly important to try and remain active, even if you are at a desk all day. Eye strain, lower back pain, and restless legs syndrome are just a few of the many symptoms that are synonymous with the office environment.

Doctors have always been looking for new, innovative methods to change up the typical cubicle setting in the office. Treadmill desks are one of the many options available to help prevent these medical problems in many workers.

Recently, many companies have started using treadmills as a method for keeping active throughout the day. Not only do you burn calories for walking at a nice, slow pace during the work day, you promote mental productivity that keeps you more focused throughout the entire day. It has been proven to be very successful for these companies that have employees using the treadmills on a daily basis, and is even used by higher level employees in the companies. Below are just a few of the companies that have made the switch to treadmills.

1. New Yorker: Writer Susan Orlean of the New Yorker has started using the treadmill on a daily basis at the office. Although she finds that she now needs to announce on the phone that she is currently walking on a treadmill, she notes that it makes her more active and it was still like a normal day at the office.

2. Salo: Salo is a Minneapolis-based financial consulting firm that has also made the switch to treadmills on a regular basis. As it helps promote blood flow to the brain, Salo employees hope to improve focus during work hours by walking throughout the entire day.

3.ReadWrite: ReadWrite is an online tech news site, and has employees walking at speeds around 1.0-1.5 miles per hour throughout the work day in order to be able to type at a normal rate. While they may not be able to drink coffee on these machines, they allow the employees to write articles at a productive speed.

4. Cosmopolitan: Joanna Coles is the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, and has made the change to treadmill desks. She even uses the treadmill throughout meetings, and doesn’t appear red in the face. She proves that you can still be stylish and fit in an office setting.

5. SilverTech: Silvertech is a technology company based out of Manchester, NH. About half of their current staff uses this desk option on a regular basis for a variety of reasons. Employees find it particularly useful for when they are writing blog posts, as it allows the thoughts to keep flowing as they write.

Clearly, this is a trend that is worth checking out more information on. For your physical and mental health, it is definitely a useful option to re-energize your office environment.