U.S.-based Steelcase Inc., will begin taking orders next month for its new Walkstation -- a complete workstation equipped with a computer and low-speed treadmill so employees can burn calories while earning a pay cheque.

Steelcase's solution to sedentary employees marries a height-adjustable table top with a treadmill that runs at just over three kilometers per hour. The product will retail for about US$4,000.

Obesity specialist James Levine and his colleagues in the NEAT (Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis) lab at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., helped to develop the Walkstation.

Levine says walking at a pace of one mile per hour can result in the loss of 40 pounds per year for employees.

Aside from fitness benefits, walking at work retains health care costs and lost productivity from employee sick days.

"More than half of the (U.S.) population has weight problems and obesity is costing the United States economy $100 billion a year," Levine said in a statement.

One-third of the American population is obese and the statistics are just as troubling for Canadians.

Nearly 5.5 million Canadians over the age of 18 are considered obese, according to the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey conducted by Statistics Canada. Another 8.6 million are considered overweight, representing roughly 36 per cent of the population.

Of Canada's 16 million workers, nearly half work out of highrise office buildings sitting behind desks.

"If sitting is to blame, standing has got to be the solution," Levine said. His research found just standing on your feet burns 20 more calories an hour than sitting.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic believe it's more beneficial to participate in non-exercise activities -- like washing dishes, fidgeting, or taking the stairs -- in order to maintain a healthy weight than it is to participate in organized exercise.

One U.S. firm has replaced it's cubicles with the walking work stations and employees say they can walk off pounds without missing a single key stroke.

"I've checked all of my email, I can make phone calls. Every single thing that I can do from my desk I can do from here," employee Amy Lavine said.

Canadian companies are catching on that reducing employee waistlines aides in improving a company's bottom line.

At the Canadian Wheat Board, employees pay $4 every pay cycle for access to gym facilities, fitness trainers and a stress and wellness specialist.

Health and wellness consultant Kerry Chase says she doesn't know if her work at the Wheat Board has improved employee productivity but she notes a marked improvement in overall mood.

"I think employers are finally stating to see that it does pay off," Chase told CTV News. "I think the motivation is there and they are starting to see that it is important.

With a report from CTV's Jill Macyshon and files from The Associated Press